Embattled Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass accused her reelection opponent, Spencer Pratt, of “exploiting the grief” of the LA wildfire victims. In an interview with left-wing podcast host Katie Phang, Bass criticized Pratt’s outspoken advocacy, claiming that he was capitalizing on the tragedy even though he was among those who lost a home in the Palisades wildfire.  “Well, honestly, before this, I had never heard of Spencer Pratt. But the thing I am concerned about is that I feel like he’s exploiting the grief of people in the Palisades. And I think that’s reprehensible,” Bass said. “I think he’s about his own celebrity; he’s famous now again.” “I think he could benefit by a basic civics course, because I don’t think he understands the basics of how any government works,” she added. LA Mayor Karen Bass: Well, honestly, before this, I had never heard of Spencer Pratt. But the thing I am concerned about is that I feel like he’s exploiting the grief of people in the Palisades. And I think that’s reprehensible. pic.twitter.com/PGbn9UKmkZ — Acyn (@Acyn) May 2, 2026 The attacks come after Pratt, a former reality TV star, posted a viral advertisement blasting Bass and other city leaders. In the campaign video, Pratt films himself outside the mansions belonging to Bass and City Council member Nithya Raman. The scene then cuts to a homeless encampment as Pratt narrates, “They don’t have to live in the mess they created. Where you live,” he says. “This is where I live,” Pratt adds while posing outside a trailer at the site of his burned-down home. “They let my home burn down. I know what the consequences of failed leadership are. That’s why I’m running for mayor. For my sons, and the rest of us Angelenos that want to stop these corrupt politicians from destroying our city. We are gonna get the golden age of Los Angeles back,” he concludes. They not like us pic.twitter.com/78hducHDUE — Spencer Pratt (@spencerpratt) April 29, 2026 In January 2025, wind-whipped flames tore through homes and devastated entire neighborhoods in Altadena and the Pacific Palisades, an upscale community near the Los Angeles County coastline. Firefighters and emergency crews worked for weeks to fully contain the fires, which burned 50,000 acres and destroyed nearly 16,000 homes. The fires, among the deadliest in California’s history, directly resulted in at least 31 deaths, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. A more in-depth analysis by the Boston University School of Public Health, however, estimated that the fires were responsible for 409 excess deaths. “The additional 409 deaths that were excluded from official death records likely resulted from partially attributable factors such as lung or heart conditions due to increased exposure to air pollution from smoke and burning objects, as well as indirect factors such as disruptions in other critical healthcare or mental health emergencies,” the researchers said. Mayor Bass, who was representing the Biden Administration in Africa as Los Angeles communities were reduced to rubble, came under scorching criticism for her handling of the fires. Returning from her overseas trip, Bass was caught flat-footed and literally speechless at Los Angeles International Airport. “Do you owe citizens an apology for being absent while their homes were burning, and do you regret cutting the fire department budget by millions of dollars, Madam Mayor?” Sky News reporter David Blevins asked Bass at the airport. “Have you absolutely nothing to say to the citizens today?” he added. Pratt is a first-time candidate facing more than a dozen other contenders in the nonpartisan mayoral primary in June, including Bass, who is seeking re-election. Prediction markets currently favor leftist Nithya Raman. ‘Do you owe citizens an apology for being absent whilst their homes were burning? Do you regret cutting the fire department’s budget? @skydavidblevins questions the mayor of LA, Karen Bass, as she faces backlash regarding the California wildfires.https://t.co/Nkz8onjC7V pic.twitter.com/WwRwp6Imqz — Sky News (@SkyNews) January 8, 2025