Incumbent Karen Bass and 13 challengers are running for Los Angeles mayor.

Voters will choose the top two candidates in the June 2 primary election to advance to a November runoff, unless a candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in the primary and automatically wins the office. Bass is leading the field, with LA Councilmember Nithya Raman a percentage point behind and reality television personality Spencer Pratt in third, according to a UC Berkeley-Los Angeles Times poll.

Raman, the current city council member for LA’s fourth district, said she is running for mayor because she believes LA has been moving in the wrong direction. Housing has become increasingly unaffordable and the number of people experiencing homelessness has not declined fast enough, despite how much money the city has spent on the issue, Raman added.

Raman, who backed Bass in 2022, had support from 25% of likely voters, while Bass had 26%, according to the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies and LA Times poll.

“I’ve been the loudest fighter on the city council for more affordable housing here in this city,” Raman said. “People who are graduating from UCLA, are they going to be able to afford to live here? That’s the future I want for LA, is a city where people can afford to live here.”

Raman also said that, if elected, she will invest in public transit and safe streets to make basic city services accessible.

She also plans to speed up housing developments by introducing a 60-day approval deadline for zoning-compliant projects, as well as a 120-day deadline for projects that require special approval to bypass local land use laws.

Raman’s platform also calls for increased protections for immigrants in LA.

Her plans include expanding funding for migrant legal protection and appointing a police chief committed to upholding sanctuary city protections – which, in accordance with a 2024 LA City Council resolution, prevent the use of city resources, property or personnel for immigration enforcement. Raman also wants to audit city departments to ensure their practices align with the sanctuary city ordinance, according to her website.

Bass, who has been mayor since 2022, has faced criticism over her handling of the January 2025 LA fires and large city budget deficits. About 56% of voters viewed Bass unfavorably and 31% viewed her favorably, according to a March UC Berkeley-LA Times poll.

Bass’ campaign did not respond to a request for an interview on the upcoming primary.

Street homelessness is down 17.5% under Bass’ administration, according to her website. Bass has also increased LAPD’s officer count and limited rent increases, according to the website.

Bass is running because she wants to build on her work by working to increase housing and reduce crime rates, according to her website.

Spencer Pratt, a former reality television star and mayoral candidate endorsed by President Donald Trump, has the support of 22% of likely voters, according to the UC Berkeley-LA Times poll.

Pratt’s campaign did not respond to a request for an interview on the upcoming primary.

Pratt, whose platform includes streamlining permitting and rebuilding efforts in LA, became more politically active after the January 2025 Palisades fire destroyed his home, according to his website.

Pratt is against efforts to defund law enforcement, according to his website. Pratt also plans to focus on mental health and drug addiction treatment to address homelessness in LA, the website said.

Candidate Rae Huang – a community organizer and ordained pastor who has 9% of likely voters, according to the UC Berkeley-LA Times poll – said she is running for mayor because she believes current city leadership has not done enough to make LA more livable and affordable.

Huang said Bass’ administration has not been successful in addressing homelessness and housing affordability. She added that she believes people often incorrectly separate the two issues.

“They (homelessness and housing affordability) are actually two sides of the same coin, and the solution and prescription is truly affordable permanent housing,” Huang said.

Huang said she believes Bass’ Inside Safe program – which seeks to move unhoused people from encampments into motel-style housing and eventually permanent housing – is a band-aid solution with no end in sight, as 40% of individuals have left the program and returned to the streets, according to the LA Times.

Huang also said, if elected, she would reduce LAPD’s funding and ensure it does not collaborate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She added that she hopes to establish a public bank to support local industry and provide loans to small businesses.

Other candidates – Andrew Kim, Juanita Lopez and Andrej Selivra – did not respond to a request for an interview.

Candidate John Logsdon, a producer and director, said he became politically involved after witnessing a shooting with his kids at a park near LAX about eight years ago. Logsdon currently chairs the public safety committee on the Neighborhood Council of Westchester/Playa and sits on the board of the LAPD Pacific Division.

Logsdon said he plans to expand LAPD, improve 911 response times and strengthen crisis intervention teams.

Logsdon also said he was unimpressed by Bass’ leadership, especially after the January Palisades fire.

“We need to have an updated, robust emergency plan,” Logsdon said. “What is LA almost more known for before the fires came up? It’s earthquakes. We haven’t even been talking about that. It’s almost like we forgot about the elephant in the room.”

Logsdon said he appreciated Bass’ decision to declare a state of emergency over homelessness on her first day in office. However, he believes Bass’ Inside Safe program is problematic because it takes a one-size-fits-all approach to housing, he added.

Adam Miller, a technology entrepreneur who ran a large education company for 20 years, said he plans to use his experience in business to help solve the city’s problems.

Miller’s campaign has a seven-by-seven plan, which outlines goals to reduce street homelessness by 60%, lower average rents by 10%, double law enforcement patrols and rebuild 1,500 miles of roadways, according to his website.

Miller said he believes Bass’ Inside Safe program was unsuccessful, adding that the city must allocate more resources toward homelessness prevention and helping people relocate to specialized shelters.

“You have to have more housing,” Miller said. “Most freshmen at UCLA understand basic economics. If there’s not enough supply and there’s steady demand, then the prices are going to go up, and that’s exactly what’s happened with the housing market here.”

Miller also said he believes LA must increase the police force to have more than 10,000 officers. His platform calls for hiring 1,400 incremental LAPD officers over four years, according to his website.

Candidate Suzy Kim, a mental health professional who serves on LAPD’s Systemwide Mental Assessment Response Team, is also running for mayor. The response team pairs officers with licensed mental health clinicians to respond to crisis calls.

Jason Lai, who works on campaign operations for Kim, said he believes Kim’s work in the response team and her background in education would help her succeed as mayor.

“She helped students discover their passions, build confidence in their goals and create meaningful paths toward their careers and success – so that’s what she would love to do, is to be able to put more resources into young people and to help in that way,” Lai said.

Lai also said Kim aims to address issues in mental health, homelessness and housing affordability. Kim wants to ban encampments near schools, parks and businesses, as well as enforce laws against public drug use, theft and vandalism, Lai added.

Lai said Kim plans to target cartels, human traffickers and criminals in her immigration policy, while also treating people with dignity and respect.

Kim’s Christian faith influenced her to run for mayor, according to her website.

Asaad Alnajjar, a senior engineering manager for the city of LA, said he is running for mayor because he believes that the city’s maintenance systems are falling apart.

Alnajjar said he believes safety concerns in areas like Westwood make students fearful to walk around. Creating safer areas will bring more business to parts of LA, he added.

“Our city is dying,” Alnajjar said. “All the candidates tell you that, but I figure this time that I can come in and enhance on the maintenance so that we can get our city back to where it should be.”

Alnajjar said he gives many recommendations to the city that he feels are ignored, including suggestions to work with Veterans Affairs to house veterans in vacant buildings.

Alnajjar also said, if elected, he would appoint transit experts to accelerate the expansion of the rail service in LA. He added that he believes the January 2025 LA fires were predictable and revealed the city’s lack of preparedness.

Candidate Bryant Acosta, a small business owner, said in a written statement that he brings experience in managing multimillion-dollar budgets.

He said in the statement that his top priorities as mayor include affordability, homelessness, mental health and transparency. Acosta added that he hopes to create a live app where LA residents can track city projects to see how their money is being spent.

“Angelenos are tired of hearing the same promises while the city gets more expensive, less functional, and more disconnected from the people who actually live here,” Acosta said in the statement.

Acosta added that he believes many young people feel disconnected from City Hall because of a lack of transparency. He added that he wants to solve this issue by making local government more accessible through technology.

Acosta also said in the statement that he wants to implement stronger restrictions on ICE and LAPD to ensure students feel safe.

Candidate Tish Hyman, a music artist who did not respond to a request to schedule an interview, said in an emailed statement that her campaign focuses on women’s safety, homelessness, accountability, affordability and quality of life. She believes homelessness is an economic issue that must be addressed because it deters tourism and nightlife, according to Hyman’s website.

Candidate Nelson Cheng, a YouTuber and graduate student at California State University, Los Angeles, said he was encouraged by his peers to run for mayor to address issues such as traffic, homelessness and stopping ICE from detaining undocumented immigrants without criminal records.

Cheng said he hopes to rebuild housing in non-fire-prone areas following the January 2025 fires. He added that he plans to convert abandoned warehouses and other facilities into renovated homeless shelters to save money.

To ease traffic, Cheng said that he would make buses free from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays. Cheng also said he would redirect some LAPD funding to the city’s animal services, disability, sanitation, street maintenance and public works departments.

“I would be able to make a positive change by being able to properly fund each department and service as much as possible,” he said.