On January 7, 2026, Spencer Pratt, a former reality TV star from MTV’s “The Hills,” announced his run for mayor of Los Angeles. Moreover, this date marked the one-year anniversary of the devastating Palisades Fire that razed his $25 million Pacific Palisades home, which he shared with his wife Heidi Montag and their two sons. At the same time, at the “They Let Us Burn” rally that fire survivors organized, the 42-year-old declared, “Business as usual kills Los Angeles… This isn’t a campaign; it exposes how the system operates.”
Consequently, Pratt amassed a huge social media following by slamming Mayor Karen Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom for wildfire mismanagement, such as empty reservoirs and neglected brush clearance. For instance, the Palisades Fire, which ignited on January 7, 2025, claimed 12 lives and demolished over 6,800 structures in areas like Pacific Palisades and Altadena. As a result, Pratt, a lifelong Pacific Palisades resident, lost both his family home and his parents’ property, so he sued the city and the L.A. Department of Water and Power for water system failures.
In addition, his viral Instagram and TikTok posts, viewed by millions, blocked flawed rebuilding laws and triggered Republican-led fire investigations. Therefore, Pratt pledges to “disinfect” LA politics by tackling “systemic negligence,” infrastructure breakdowns, and fire safety threats that Democrats like Bass (who vacationed in Ghana during the blaze) and Newsom ignored. On one hand, Bass, the Democrat elected in 2022, issued nearly 700 rebuilding permits; however, her approval ratings plummet amid slow recovery. Similarly, Pratt claims non-partisan status he’d target Republicans too and collaborates with Trump administration allies on fire reforms.
Nevertheless, though a political novice, Pratt leverages his influencer clout (2 million followers) and “Spencer for Governor” merch sales to rally fire victims and conservatives. In contrast, Bass strategist Doug Herman brands him a “reality TV villain” chasing book hype and ratings. Ultimately, in the June 2026 election, Pratt’s outsider fury challenges Bass’s incumbency in a flame-scarred city.
