Good morning, and welcome to L.A. on the Record — our City Hall newsletter. It’s Noah Goldberg, giving you the latest on city and county government.
For six days this week, anybody could dream at the L.A. city clerk’s office.
Angelenos seeking elected office had to file their declarations of intent between Monday and Saturday to be eligible for the June 2 primary.
All week, the third floor courtyard of the C. Erwin Piper Technical Center was abuzz with candidates milling about, filling out paperwork, signing ethics forms and writing down their job histories.
Some will win elected office, which, naturally, means others will lose.
And some may not get on the ballot — each candidate must gather 500 legitimate voter signatures by March 4, which is relatively easy in citywide races but harder in council districts.
A candidate arrives to file to run for office in the the 2026 Municipal elections at the city clerk’s office in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
“I know I won’t win,” said Joseph Garcia, a gardener, former screenwriter and member of the Venice Neighborhood Council who filed Tuesday to run for mayor.
During an interview, Garcia removed his shoe to show an injury to his foot. City clerk staffers politely asked him to put his shoe back on.
One candidate showed up on colorful roller skates wearing a wreath of flowers on her head. Another came in scrubs.
Other aspiring politicians were ready to get down to brass tacks.
Tim Gaspar, a business owner who is running to represent Council District 3, purchased a strawberry Pop-Tart from a vending machine and spoke about his fundraising numbers.
In the race to replace Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, who is terming out, Gaspar has raised more than $300,000, which is $100,000 more than the two other candidates who have raised any cash at all.
Gaspar, who was wearing a blue suit, said the money came from more than 900 donors.
“It’s been a grassroots campaign,” he said.
Minutes earlier, former reality television star Spencer Pratt stepped out of his Ford F150 and changed from flip-flops into sneakers before walking into the building to file his declaration to run for mayor.
Pratt wore shorts, a hat that said “Heidiwood” — for his wife, Heidi Pratt — and a shirt for Heidi’s “Superficial” album tour. He was flanked by two private security guards and two aides.
As Pratt was walking in, Jose Ugarte, a top aide to Councilmember Curren Price who is running to replace his boss in Council District 9, was walking out.
“F— that guy,” Ugarte said about Pratt, a registered Republican who has received endorsements from many in the MAGA world. Ugarte has been explicit in his anti-Trump sentiment, specifically over the summer’s immigration raids.
Henry Mantel files to run for City Council District 5 at the city clerk’s office on Wednesday.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
In the elevator, Pratt edited a social media video in which he railed against Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Jaime Moore for not looking into who watered down the after-action report into the Palisades fire.
About 30 minutes later, after he finished filing, Pratt took questions from a gaggle of reporters huddled beyond a barrier that said “No media beyond this point.”
“It’s me or Karen Bass. We have no other choice,” said Pratt, one of more than 30 candidates who have filed to run against Bass, who is seeking a second term as mayor.
Watching from under a white tent as she filled out her declaration was Dylan Kendall, who is trying to oust Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez in District 13.
“I think Spencer Pratt kind of sucked the air out of the room,” Kendall said.
The former bartender said it took her about an hour to fill out her forms. She feels that Soto-Martínez has “neglected and ignored” residents in her district, which spans Echo Park and Hollywood, all the way to Atwater Village.
In the parking lot, Keeldar Hamilton, who sported a long ponytail, had just finished filing.
Asked what he was running for as he got into his Tesla Cybertruck, Hamilton said, “Governor … I mean mayor.”
State of play
— MAY-OR MAY NOT: The filing deadline to run for mayor is Saturday at 12 p.m., and some candidates have really taken it down to the wire. L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath is still weighing a run. Former schools Supt. Austin Beutner dropped out on Thursday, following the death of his 22-year-old daughter. Billionaire developer Rick Caruso, meanwhile, decided not to run — for the second time in less than a month.
— FIRE WATER: Two sources told The Times that two people close to Bass informed them that Bass wanted key findings in the LAFD after-action report on the Palisades fire softened. Bass denied The Times’ report, calling it “dangerous and irresponsible” for the newspaper to rely on third-hand information.
— SOTC PART 1: Bass delivered the first of two States of the City Monday, urging Angelenos to come together ahead of the 2028 Olympics while announcing a push to clean up Los Angeles’ busiest streets in the run-up to the Games. The second speech will take place in April.
— WASSERMANIA: LA28 Olympics committee Chair Casey Wasserman faced calls from L.A. officials to resign following revelations about racy emails he exchanged with convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein’s former romantic partner. Bass did not take a stance, saying it was up to the LA28 board.
— FREE OF FEE: Palisades fire victims rebuilding homes, duplexes, condominium units, apartment complexes and commercial buildings will not have to pay permit fees, the City Council decided Tuesday. Forfeiting those fees is expected to cost as much as $90 million over three years, according to Matt Szabo, the city’s top budget analyst.
— PRICE FAINT: Councilmember Curren Price, 75, was taken to the hospital Wednesday after fainting during a Black History Month event at City Hall. Price was “in stable condition, is in recovery and doing well,” said Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson.
— HALL PASS: Former State Assemblymember Isadore Hall dropped out of the race for L.A. city controller, saying in a statement to The Times that a death in his family had prompted his decision.
— SHERIFF SUITS: L.A. County spent $229 million on legal payouts and lawyer bills last fiscal year. Nearly half of that — $112 million — went to defend the Sheriff’s Department against lawsuits, a 12% uptick in the department’s payouts from the year before.
— COUNTY CUTS: The county approved nearly $200 million in cuts to homeless services, despite 2024 voter support for a sales tax to combat the crisis.
QUICK HITS
- Where is Inside Safe? The mayor’s signature homelessness program went to Lincoln Heights, bringing 17 unhoused Angelenos indoors from an encampment.
- On the docket next week: A plan to build 1,000 units of housing at the Row DTLA goes before the Planning Commission on Thursday.
Stay in touch
That’s it for this week! Send your questions, comments and gossip to LAontheRecord@latimes.com. Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Saturday morning.