Frustrated Los Angeles voters are weighing a mayoral choice many describe as picking the lesser of two disappointments, with some backing incumbent Karen Bass solely to block her Democratic Socialist challenger.
The California Post spoke to voters across Los Angeles on Tuesday, October 20, as the city grapples with a spiraling homelessness crisis, soaring cost of living, public safety problems and the aftermath of the devastating Palisades Fire. Among those interviewed was Hollywood writer Heidi Van Tassell, who made headlines in 2019 after a homeless man attacked her on Hollywood Boulevard and dumped a bucket of hot feces over her head.
Van Tassell, who said she knew people who lost their homes in the wildfires, was deeply disappointed in Bass but feared Councilwoman Nithya Raman would be worse.
“I’ve had friends who’ve lost their homes in the fire and I’m just disappointed in her, but now I’m voting for her because Spencer Pratt is not in it anymore,” she said.
“I’d rather have four more years of her than eight years of Nithya Raman.”
Van Tassell said she had spoken to Raman directly about homelessness but came away with little confidence in her plans to tackle the crisis.
“(Raman) rolled her eyes and said, ‘we’re done here,'” Van Tassell recalled.
Despite describing LA as “a great city,” Van Tassell feared it was becoming increasingly dystopian, comparing it to the apocalyptic Hollywood movie “Escape from L.A.”
Business owner AJ Johnson also said he would vote for Bass, describing her as the better of two mediocre choices. Johnson said something as simple as cleaning up the city’s trash-strewn streets could go a long way toward restoring public confidence in City Hall.
Other voters were so unimpressed by the choice that they wished they could write in another candidate altogether. Saleswoman Linda Mintz said she would rather vote for tech entrepreneur Adam Miller or real estate developer Rick Caruso, who lost to Bass in the 2022 mayoral election.
Mintz praised Caruso, the developer behind The Grove shopping center, for his hands-on approach to running the popular LA destination.
“I actually wish Caruso was running again because I really like that man and I go to the Grove all the time,” she said.
“I mean if the fountain isn’t on, he goes ‘how come the fountain’s not on? Music? How come the music’s not on? One call and everything happens.”
Raman has been endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America, a detail that appears to factor into some voters’ calculations. For these frustrated Angelenos, the question is not necessarily who can make Los Angeles better, but which candidate they trust least to make it worse.
The 2019 attack on Van Tassell became national news when a homeless man threw a bucket of hot fecal matter on her near the Hollywood Walk of Fame, an incident that highlighted the city’s struggles with street homelessness and mental illness. She has since remained vocal about public safety and quality-of-life issues in the area.
The mayoral election will determine who leads America’s second-largest city through ongoing challenges including housing affordability, wildfire recovery and continued concerns about crime and public disorder.