Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt spent part of his Saturday in Baldwin Village making one final push to get voters to the polls with just days remaining before Tuesday’s primary election.
An estimated 150 residents packed a community barbecue and voter outreach event where neighbors gathered to speak directly with Pratt about homelessness, crime, public safety, government accountability and the future of Los Angeles.
For several hours, Pratt worked his way through the crowd, stopping to answer questions, pose for photos and listen to concerns from residents who said they often feel ignored by City Hall.
“Baldwin Village is a beautiful area with great people and tremendous potential, but the thing that stood out to me is how disappointed they all are with Karen Bass,” Pratt told The Post.
“They all feel disillusioned and demoralized with city leadership, and they find a glimmer of hope in seeing somebody running who hates and distrusts politicians as much as they do.”
Pratt said many residents feel they have been living with the consequences of government failures for years.
“The community appreciates that I have had to suffer the consequences of government neglect, as they have for years,” Pratt said. “I look forward to working with neighborhood leaders to stomp out corruption and fraud so their tax dollars can be put to work for them.”
With turnout expected to play a major role in determining who advances from Tuesday’s election, Pratt repeatedly urged supporters not to sit out the race.
“It’s now or never,” Pratt said. “We have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to right the ship in LA, but people need to get off the internet and go vote. I don’t want to hear anyone complain about druggies or vagrant fires or potholes if they haven’t voted. There’s no fate but what we make.”
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The event was organized by local volunteers and community leaders who said they wanted residents to have direct access to a mayoral candidate.
“It’s good to see everybody coming out voting,” said organizer Marie Claybourne. “Whatever we can do to help, I’m here for it.”
Among those who spoke with Pratt was Baldwin Village resident Leonard Lee, who raised concerns about a lack of accountability surrounding homelessness spending.
“The biggest problem in the homeless situation is the nonprofit issue,” Lee told The Post. “The money is being funneled to nonprofits and they’re paying themselves.”
Throughout the afternoon, Pratt emphasized that if elected, he plans to spend less time inside City Hall and more time meeting directly with residents.
“I plan to spend very little time in City Hall,” Pratt told attendees. “I have way more fun being out in communities with people who feel like they’re not heard because that’s why I got elected. I didn’t feel heard.”
The event also attracted social media reporter Eoin Richard, who has built a following documenting homelessness and quality-of-life issues across Los Angeles.
Richard said he supports Pratt because he believes the city needs a different approach to homelessness.
“We have to save our city and actually elect someone who cares about the people, who cares about fixing homelessness and solving the root problems, not just pushing them into other communities and creating chaos,” Richard said.
Richard said his reporting grew out of his experience living in MacArthur Park, where he witnessed encampments and drug activity firsthand.
“Every single day people, including myself, had to deal with encampments on the ground and drug use around children and parks,” Richard said. “It has an effect on everybody across LA.”
He said Pratt’s message appeared to be resonating with voters gathered at the event.
“It’s an inspiring message,” Richard said. “I think everyone on the ground here is inspired, and we’ve got to keep up the momentum.”
The Post spoke with residents who were not attending Saturday’s event to gauge voter sentiment and turnout. While several said they had not yet cast their ballots, many told The Post they planned to vote before polls close Tuesday.
Sophia Young, who is not yet old enough to vote but closely follows city politics with her family, said her parents support Councilwoman Nithya Raman.
“I support a lot of her policies,” Young said. “As someone who comes from a family who pays rent and I see my parents struggle with that, I think that’s something that appeals to me personally,” she said.
She added that she believes the race remains highly competitive.
“I think it’s going to be a really close race.”
Other residents said they had already voted for Mayor Karen Bass.
Kevin Merrik, a nearby resident who cast his ballot by mail, said he considered other options before ultimately backing the incumbent.
“It’s a tough job and it’s a tough time,” he said. “The fire sure didn’t help her.”
“I finally decided that I want to stick with someone that I knew who she was.”
The event also drew first-time voters.
One newly naturalized citizen said she recently registered to vote and cast her first ballot for Pratt after being encouraged by Adrian Mallon, a community advocate who has been active in Pratt’s campaign outreach efforts.
“It’s my first time voting, and I’m glad I get to do it for Spencer Pratt,” she said.
There are just three days left for voters to cast their ballots.
As The Post reported on Friday, the race has tightened into a razor-close three-way contest, with Spencer Pratt and Mayor Karen Bass running neck and neck and Councilwoman Nithya Raman close behind.
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