Plea to Spencer Pratt Voters: Don't Elect 'Socialists' to Lead Los Angeles

As the November 3 mayoral election approaches, an opinion piece urges voters who supported Spencer Pratt in the primaries to cast their ballots for Karen Bass, warning against electing Nithya Raman, whom the author characterizes as backed by "socialists."

The author, Shervin Natan, identifies as a "voting Angeleno" and a member of Thrive LA, a nonpartisan movement. Natan explains that his initial vote for Pratt was a protest, intended to send a message that the city was poorly managed. With Pratt out of the running, Natan argues that a vote for Raman could lead to a worsening situation for Los Angeles.

A key point of contention highlighted is the carpenters' union's endorsement of Raman after previously backing Karen Bass in 2022. The union withdrew its support for Bass when she refused to mandate union wages for affordable housing projects, a decision the author suggests would have increased costs by up to 20%. The carpenters' consultant, Rick Jacobs, a former senior advisor to Eric Garcetti, is presented as instrumental in the union finding a candidate, Raman, who would comply with their demands.

The piece also links Raman to the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA-LA), whose voter guide reportedly praises Raman for opposing LAPD salary raises and criticizes Bass for supporting them. The DSA-LA's stated goal of building a "governing majority" at City Hall is cited as a concern, suggesting a Mayor Raman would be part of a broader ideological movement.

Regarding homelessness, the author points to Raman's reaction to the clearing of the Echo Park Lake encampment in March 2021, where she tweeted that a "forced and sudden eviction is not the way to move forward." The article claims this stance frustrated some of her constituents and that she has voted against city laws aimed at curbing encampments, including a recent vote against a no-camping zone in Venice.

Natan draws a parallel to the election of George Gascón as District Attorney, suggesting a similar ideological experiment is being proposed with Raman. The author acknowledges that Bass was not everyone's first choice and that some voters may be angry with her, referencing Pratt losing his home in the Palisades Fire while Bass was abroad. However, the central argument is that the election hinges on a choice between "pragmatists" and an "ideological movement."

The article concludes by advising Spencer Pratt voters that a protest vote might feel good temporarily but leads to four years of living with the consequences, urging them not to elect candidates who would "make it worse faster."