Los Angeles voters are confronting a deeply frustrating choice in the mayoral race. Some remain so disenchanted with Karen Bass’ record that they plan to give the incumbent another four years—not because they are satisfied with her leadership, but because they fear her challenger would be even worse.
The California Post spoke with voters throughout Los Angeles on Tuesday, October 20. Many voiced anger over the city’s worsening homelessness crisis, rising living costs, public safety concerns and the response to the devastating Palisades Fire.
Yet even voters critical of Bass said they would reluctantly support her rather than risk putting City Hall in the hands of Councilwoman Nithya Raman, who has received the backing of the Democratic Socialists of America.
Among those voters is Hollywood writer Heidi Van Tassell, who made headlines in 2019 when a homeless man attacked her on Hollywood Boulevard and poured a bucket of hot feces over her head.
Van Tassell said she knew people who had lost their homes in the wildfires and remained deeply disappointed in Bass. Even so, she worried that Raman would be an even worse choice for Los Angeles.
“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 discussed homelessness with Raman but left the conversation unconvinced that the councilwoman had a workable plan to address the crisis.
“(Raman) rolled her eyes and said, ‘we’re done here,’” Van Tassell recalled.
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Although Van Tassell described Los Angeles as “a great city,” she said it increasingly felt dystopian, comparing the city’s direction to the apocalyptic Hollywood film “Escape from L.A.”
Business owner AJ Johnson also said he intended to vote for Bass, calling her the better of two mediocre options.
Johnson argued that even a basic effort to clear trash from the city’s streets could help rebuild public confidence in Los Angeles City Hall.
Other voters were so underwhelmed by the mayoral contest that they said they wished they could write in an entirely different candidate.
Saleswoman Linda Mintz said she would prefer to vote for tech entrepreneur Adam Miller or real estate developer Rick Caruso, who was defeated by Bass in the 2022 mayoral election.
Mintz praised Caruso, the developer behind The Grove shopping center, for his hands-on management of the popular Los Angeles 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.”
For these frustrated Angelenos, the central question is not always which candidate can improve Los Angeles. Instead, it is which contender they trust least to make the city’s problems worse.
Watch the video to hear directly from Los Angeles voters about the mayoral race and the changes they believe the city urgently needs.
