Mayor debates come at a key time

Many Angelenos are still undecided. Bass, Pratt and Raman make the cut for TV event.

- BY NOAH GOLDBERG

With just 28 days till election day, the Los Angeles mayor's race is heating up this week as leading candidates face off in debates that will highlight their diverging visions on issues such as public safety and homelessness.

The debates are taking on added importance with polls showing large numbers of voters haven't made up their minds, and with many of them expressing unfavorable views of incumbent Karen Bass.

"In this election cycle, debates are perhaps the most important because we have such a large swath of electorate that is still undecided," said Sara Sadhwani, a politics professor at Pomona College.

The verbal skirmishes begin Tuesday with the influential Sherman Oaks Home owners Assn. hosting an evening debate between Bass and Councilmember Nithya Raman, who represents the area.

The following evening, NBC4 and Telemundo 52 host a televised debate from the Skirball Center. The TV stations said just three of the 14 candidates — Bass, Raman and reality television personality Spencer Pratt — had support of 5% or more in two reliable polls, the requirement to participate.

Pratt has waged much of his campaign on social media. He's also a registered Republican in a heavily Democratic city. Even though the mayor's race is non partisan, Sadhwani said Pratt will need to pitch himself as "a reasonable candidate who can reflect some of the core values of Angelenos."

In that vein, she said, Pratt needs to distance himself from President Trump.

"I don't think Angelenos would be OK with having a mayor aligned with Trump," she said.