A group of people set up fake homeless encampments outside the home of a Los Angeles mayoral candidate.
The stunt, featuring tents, trash and old tires outside former city councilwoman Nithya Raman’s home, went viral on social media.
Raman faces scrutiny over homelessness policy
The organizers told Fox 11 Los Angeles they brought the display to Raman’s doorstep to show “what other people are going through” in Los Angeles.
This race has been flooded with viral moments, partly thanks to Raman’s opponent Spencer Pratt’s AI-generated social media videos.
Raman faced criticism after she answered a quesion on whether encampment restrictions 500 feet from schools or daycares are a good idea.
“I don’t think a kid’s gonna be safer if they are 10 feet or 500 feet away from a school,” she said.
She later clarified that she is focused on building a citywide response to homelessness and is less interested in moving encampments from one place to another.
The same week, Raman, in an appearance on the “Adam Conover Podcast,” said the encampment stunt in front of her house impacted her family.
“I have two little kids. They didn’t see it, luckily, this morning,” she said. “I feel badly that I’m even subjecting them to that at all. But definitely, this has gone far beyond what I expected this campaign to be about.”
This mayoral race has attracted a lot of buzz, especially in the final week before the primary election on Tuesday, June 2.
Gov. Gavin Newsom made a late endorsement for incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, who also has the support of former Vice President Kamala Harris.
What do the polls say?
Bass leads in the latest poll from Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies/the Los Angeles Times with 26% of the vote. Raman is in lockstep with Bass with 25% support while reality TV star Spencer Pratt was at 22%.
Ten percent of voters are undecided, down from 26% in March, suggesting that Los Angelenos are making up their minds.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Pratt and Raman have made inroads with voters, but Bass’ progress flatlined compared to the March poll.
Pratt is best known for his role on “The Hills,” a reality TV show. His campaign’s momentum has surprised politicos who dismissed him as a viable candidate. Pratt has leaned on his personal tragedy of losing his family home in the Palisades Fire, blaming the city for mismanagement of resources and negligence. Although he is a registered Republican, he is running as an independent.
Raman, who is the first South Asian woman elected to the Los Angeles City Council, is a progressive candidate and an ally to Bass. She says she is running to fix the dysfunction in city government.
Bass is leading in the polls, but her approval ratings have suffered since the Palisades Fire. She is leaning on her incumbency status and the support of the Democratic Party to help her cross the finish line.