Bass, Raman, Pratt in Dead Heat as L.A. Mayoral Election Nears

Bass, Raman, Pratt in Dead Heat as L.A. Mayoral Election Nears

From Headlines From The Times by LA Times Studios

June 1, 2026 · 7 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the tight race for the L.A. mayoral election and the various local races and voting procedures.

The showdown for LA mayor is tighter than ever. New polling from UC Berkeley co-sponsored by the L.A. Times shows Karen Bass at 26%, City Council Member Nithya Raman at 25%, and former reality TV personality Spencer Pratt at 22%, meaning Bass has a statistically insignificant lead. Governor Gavin Newsom endorsed Bass, and she's secured support from major political groups. But Pratt's anti-establishment campaign is gaining traction. Voters will also decide seven City Council seats, the City Attorney, Controller, three School Board spots, and ballot measures on hotel and cannabis taxes. On the county level, races include Sheriff, Board of Supervisors, a healthcare sales tax, and Superior Court judge positions. If you plan to vote by mail in the California primary, it's not too late. You can drop your ballot at an official drop box, take it to a polling center by 8 p.m. on election day Tuesday, June 2, or mail it. But if you send it by mail, your ballot must be postmarked on or before June 2. If you missed the voter registration deadline in May, you can still cast a ballot through the same-day conditional voter registration process by heading to a vote center or county election…

Topics covered

  • L.A. mayoral election
  • polling
  • voter registration
  • political endorsements
  • local elections

Keywords

  • L.A. mayor
  • Karen Bass
  • Nithya Raman
  • Spencer Pratt
  • voter registration
  • California primary
  • polling

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: UC Berkeley, L.A. Times

Places: California

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