Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is under fire for withdrawing from an upcoming mayoral forum, following a challenging performance in a recent debate where Spencer Pratt emerged as the winner, according to an online survey.
Organizers shared on Instagram, “The League of Women Voters and the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs regret to announce that Mayor Karen Bass has opted out of the televised Los Angeles mayoral forum scheduled for May 13 on FOX 11.”
The forum was designed to provide Los Angeles residents with a chance to hear firsthand from candidates aiming to guide the city through significant hurdles.
Five candidates were invited, with four initially agreeing to participate, including Mayor Bass, Councilmember Nithya Raman, businessman Adam Miller, and community advocate Rae Huang. However, the former reality TV star turned LA mayoral candidate declined, citing scheduling conflicts.
“It’s disappointing that voters will miss the opportunity to see the Mayor alongside her major opponents in a televised setting just as public interest in the race is growing,” Mike Bonin, head of the Pat Brown Institute, mentioned to The Post.
Bonin further explained that during initial discussions about the forum, they coordinated with different campaigns regarding availability, and the Mayor’s team confirmed she would be free on May 13.
Given that information, Bonin said they invited her leading challengers for an event on that day, noting that invites were sent out and the Mayor confirmed her appearance on the 22nd of April.
Included in the organizer’s post, was a picture of a document signed by the mayor on April 22 confirming her attendance at the 2026 Mayoral Candidate Forum on May 13.
“On May 7, Mayor Bass withdrew, with her campaign consultant indicating they had debated their two main opponents, who made clear they were not up for the job, and they were done with debates,” Bonin added.
The mayor’s campaign has defended dropping out of the forum.
“Mayor Bass will be in Sacramento that day fighting for funding for housing, homelessness, and Palisades Fire recovery, and will also discuss the city and state partnership on the Olympics and World Cup,” campaign spokesperson Alex Stack told FOX 11.
Bonin said on the 8th her team told reporters she would be in Sacramento, but “at no point did the Mayor’s campaign indicate they had a conflict on the date that they chose and confirmed.”
The announcement also explained the the women’s voter league and institute have a “long track record of co-sponsoring candidate forums that are fair, non-partisan, substantive, and focused on issues that matter most to voters.”
“We remain committed to providing voters with meaningful opportunities to engage with those seeking public office.”
At this point, the debate is still scheduled to be aired live at 6 PM on FOX 11 on Wednesday May 13 with candidates Miller, Huang and Raman, the outlet noted.
The Post reached out to the mayor’s campaign for further comment.
