2026 Los Angles Mayor’s Race, 41 Declare Intent

         Mayor Karen Bass has declared intent to run for reelection. Rick Caruso indicated interest but decided not to run. On the last day to file, Councilmember Nithya Raman entered the race, bringing the total of interested candidates to 41.

All candidates must submit a petition of signatures by March 4 to appear on the June primary ballot.  Candidates have two options:  (1) pay a filing fee of $300 and file a nominating petition with 500 valid signatures  (registered voters in Los Angeles), or (2) file a nomination petition with 1,000 valid signatures. The results of the nominating petitions will determine who is on the primary ballot on June 2.

         While we wait for the final list of candidates, information worth knowing is that the mayor is the chief executive of Los Angeles who appoints managers and commissioners and proposes the annual budget. The mayor has the power to veto Council measures which could be overridden by a two-thirds vote. Los Angeles’s budget for 2025-26 is $13.9 billion.

         Four of the 41 candidates are considered the top runners at this time based on local reporting.

Karen Bass

         Bass is the current  mayor. She is the first female and second black mayor. She was previously in the U.S. House of Representatives as well as the California State Assembly, holding positions as Majority Floor Leader and Speaker. She has focused on homelessness and public safety. Recently she faced criticism over the city’s response to the 2025 wildfires. 

Rae Huang

         Huang is a community organizer and Presbyterian minister. She is the deputy director of Housing Now California,  a group that fights for tenants. She is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. Many of Huang’s views come from her experiences as a single mother.  

Adam Miller

         Miller is co-founder of Better Angels, a nonprofit focused on preventing homelessness and building affordable housing. As a tech executive he made his money developing education software. He said the mayor’s office needs someone with strong leadership skills. Miller enters the race as an “outsider to elective office” after spending two decades building organizations across business, technology, and the nonprofit sector, according to his campaign team. 

Spencer Pratt

         Pratt is a reality TV star – The Hills and Laguna Beach – and an activist. His home in Pacific Palisades was destroyed by the wildfires, and he has focused on the handling of that situation. His recently released book, a memoir titled The Guy You Loved to Hate: Confessions from a Reality TV Villain, includes his intentional, calculated rise to fame on The Hills, his financial motivations, and his shift from reality villain to social media personality. 

Nithya Raman

         Raman is currently a member of the Los Angeles City Council,  representing District 4, the San Fernando Valley to Silver Lake, since 2020. She was the first candidate to be elected with support from the Democratic Socialists of America. She also states she is a YIMBY (Yes in My Backyard) who wants to increase housing production in LA. While Raman had endorsed Bass, she entered the mayor’s race because “we need to be doing something differently at the very top."

Other names on the Office of City Clerk’s declared list:

·       Bryant Acosta, chief creative officer

·       Asaad Alnajjar, Porter Ranch neighborhood councilor and candidate for Los Angeles's 12th City Council district in 2020

·       Alyssa Ball, science education advocate

·       Adam Jeffrey Carmichael, architect

·       Alyxandria-Jamil Carter, artist

·       Ernesto G. Castelli, writer

·       Nelson Cheng, streamer and behavioral interventionist

·       Eoin Richard Connolly, journalist

·       Griselda Diaz, administrative manager and activist

·       Debra “Jerri” Duggan, housing developer

·       Cassandra Faye Floyd, minister

·       John Logsdon, neighborhood council board member

·       Jeanne Moller Fontana, mental health activist

·       Katya Forsyth, compost industry professional

·       Erik Daniel Garcia, entrepreneur

·       Joseph Garcia, gardener and advocate

·       Laura Garza, union rail worker

·       Robert Goodman, entrepreneur and financial advisor

·       Benji Guerrero, artist/health educator

·       Keeldar Shawn Hamilton, transportation coordinator

·       Nick Harron, writer

·       Tish Hyman, singer-songwriter

·       Andrew K. Kim, attorney and candidate for the 2022 mayoral election

·       Suzy Kim, mental health professional

·       Juanita Lopez, political scientist

·       Stevie Maceo Milan, sales representative

·       Adam Miller, former tech executive

·       Preston James Miller

·       Carmenlina Minasova, human rights activist

·       Victor F. Montes, community services professional

·       Douglas Nichols, chief executive officer

·       Misael Ortega, painting contractor

·       Unknown Q

·       Andrej Selivra, enterprise technical architect

·       Jerry R. Tyler, businessperson  

·       Franziska Von Fischer, real estate investor

·       Vincent Wali, musician

April’s The Scene will include the final list of candidates on the primary ballot with more information on each candidate. Time to start thinking about your choice for mayor of LA.

By Debra Shrout