Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Platt may have just screwed up. The 42-year-old comes just days after posting a video showing him living in a trailer following the catastrophic fires in Los Angeles, although he himself admitted he didn’t live there. Instead, Pratt stayed at a luxury hotel, where a standard room can cost anywhere from $1,000 to more than $1,700 per night. Prices for the hotel’s higher-end suites can be much higher, including the hotel’s Swan Lake Suite, which reportedly costs more than $8,000 per night.
Why is this a blatant lie?
Platt recently took aim at his opponents Karen Bass and Nithya Rahman, saying his home was destroyed in the Los Angeles fire. In a campaign-style video filmed after his family lost their home, the former TV star stood in front of a trailer and declared: “This is where I live.”
However, Platt later disputed the claim that he actually lived there full-time.
“We asked Spencer if he had ever lived in a trailer and he said no,” TMZ reported Wednesday, adding, “I’ve never told anyone I lived there.” “
Yet in a campaign ad, he stood in front of a trailer and said bluntly: “This is where I live.”
Why Spencer Pratt Doesn’t Live in the Trailer
Platt told the publication that he pulled out of the trailer, which he mentioned frequently in his campaign messaging, due to safety concerns and alleged death threats. Pratt has reportedly been staying at the ultra-luxurious Bel Air Hotel for more than a month.
Platt told TMZ the move was strictly for safety reasons.
“The reality is that the Bastards and the Lamanians are kind of crazy, and since I destroyed them in the debates and soared in the polls, they’ve become increasingly desperate and hostile.”
He added, “I can’t talk about specific threats, but that group of people … are not safe right now.”
Sources cited in the report said Pratt’s wife, Heidi Montag, and their children currently live in Carpinteria, and that the trailer that became part of Pratt’s public narrative is no longer in use.
New Poll: Spencer Platt vs Nithya Raman vs Karen Bass
Meanwhile, an Emerson College Poll/California Politics Insider Survey released on May 13 showed that incumbent Mayor Karen Bass currently leads with 30% of voters. This marks a significant jump from Bath’s 20% in March.
The poll also highlights one of the biggest shifts in the race so far: a sharp drop in undecided voters from 51% in March to 16% in May, suggesting that many residents have finally decided on their preferred candidate.
Bass’s recent momentum has been fueled by a high-profile endorsement from former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Spencer Pratt’s approval ratings surge
While Bass still leads overall, the biggest increase in support goes to Spencer Platt. The poll found Platt’s approval rating climbed to 22% in May from 10% in March, making him one of the biggest surprises in the race.
Meanwhile, Nithya Raman’s approval rating has also risen significantly, rising to 19% in the latest survey from 9% in March.
The three candidates recently shared the stage in a mayoral debate on NBC4 and Telemundo 52, with issues such as homelessness, wildfire recovery and housing policy dominating the discussion.
Other candidates remain far behind the frontrunners
All but three of the major candidates continue to trail significantly in voter support.
Nonprofit executive and entrepreneur Adam Miller has an approval rating of 7% in the latest poll, up slightly from 4% earlier this year.
Rae Chen Huang, a pastor and housing advocate, saw her approval rating rise slightly, from 3% to 4%.
The official list of candidates released by the City Clerk’s Office also includes Bryant Acosta, Asaad Alnajjar, Nelson Cheng, Tish Hyman, Andrew Kim, Suzy Kim, John Logsdon, Juanita Lopez and Andrej A. Selivra. Candidates Griselda Diaz and Misael Ortega are also in the running.
Election day is coming
Los Angeles voters will go to the polls on June 2 to elect a mayor. If no candidate secures an outright majority, the top two candidates will advance to a runoff election scheduled for November.
The accused was identified as Sharon Gohari. They are naturalized U.S. citizens living between Iran and Nassau County, New York.Authorities said Goharie conducted an ongoing scheme from at least December 2020 through May 2025 in which he solicited and received payments from Iranian nationals and others trying to enter the United States illegally. He arranged and facilitated their travel, including assisting with visa applications at the Mexican Embassy in Iran and organizing journeys into the United States through Mexico and other transit countries.Gohari worked with colleagues in Iran and elsewhere to charge thousands of dollars per client. At least one individual he assisted is alleged to have ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is designated a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department. The man was later detained by U.S. border authorities.During the course of the investigation, federal agents also discovered child sexual abuse material on Gohari’s phone, including multiple videos depicting the rape of children. Some of the material involves children as young as five years old.Investigators found hundreds of photos and videos on his devices showing women in public places in New York City, including on trains and in cafes, that were recorded without their knowledge. Some of the photos were taken from close range or in a way that suggested the victim was being followed. Gohari shared some of the material with overseas accounts, including one based in Iran.In communications after receiving the child sexual abuse material, Gohari stated his intention to seek out a sexual partner at a high school.The case involves immigration-related crimes and child exploitation offences. The alien smuggling charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of three years and a maximum of 10 years in prison, while the child sexual abuse material charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of 20 years. Sentencing is scheduled for later.
Beytullah Gunduz, 39, who prosecutors say has links to the Hackney Turks gang, also known as Bombacilar or the “Bombers,” has been charged with plotting to murder restaurant owner Onur Guzel following a bitter turf dispute involving rival Turkish gangs, Sky News reported.The gang suspected Guzel’s family of supporting rival Tottenham Turks financially and allegedly demanded an “eye-watering” sum weeks before the shooting, according to Old Bailey prosecutors.The attack took place outside the family-run Umut 2000 restaurant in Dalston on June 20 last year. CCTV footage played in court reportedly showed Guzel lying on the pavement, shot in the torso and screaming in agony.Although Guzel survived, he suffered life-changing injuries and is now reportedly living with an ostomy bag.Gunduz dismissed a charge of conspiracy to murder and a separate charge of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm.The accused gunman, Dogan Over, did not face trial because he is believed to have fled to Istanbul after the attack. Prosecutors said the white Kia Niro used in the shooting was burned minutes later.The court also heard the Guzel family and their restaurant had been targeted in two previous shootings linked to tensions between London’s Turkish gangs.Prosecutor Jane Bickerstaff KC told jurors that Gunduz and an associate initially approached the family after the shooting at the Guzel brothers’ home on April 5, allegedly blaming the Tottenham Turks and offering help.However, after another shooting at the restaurant on April 7, the gang allegedly accused Guzel’s father of secretly paying their rival.“His father denied giving the money, but the people he spoke to did not seem to believe him,” the prosecutor told the court. “They said Tottenham Hotspur were their enemy and gave his father a week to give them £100,000.”According to reports, Guzel had met Guenduz earlier on the day of the shooting but did not notice the attacker while talking on the phone outside the restaurant.“He just heard a loud bang and immediately felt a fever. He knew it was blood and realized he had been shot,” the prosecutor told the jury. The trial is currently underway.
