Spencer Pratt<\/a>, a conservative reality TV star, came in second to Bass, at just over 10%. City Councilmember Nithya Raman, a former Bass ally who shook up the field with her last-minute entry<\/a>, polled at slightly more than 9%. Tech entrepreneur Adam Miller was supported by just over 4% of those polled, with leftist candidate Rae Huang at about 3%. <\/p>\n Although Bass had the most support among the candidates in the June 2 primary election, the poll showed that nearly half of Angelenos are unhappy with her performance. She was weakened politically by her handling of the devastating Palisades fire<\/a> but has touted reductions in homicides and homelessness.<\/p>\n About 25% of those polled said they approve of the job Bass is doing as mayor, while about 47% disapprove. About 28% said they have no opinion or felt neutral.<\/p>\n The poll, based on interviews with 350 likely voters March 7-9, revealed just how up for grabs the mayoral election is, with less than three months before the primary. <\/p>\n \u201cThis is a wide open race,\u201d said Zev Yaroslavsky, a former city council member and L.A. County supervisor who runs the Los Angeles Initiative at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. \u201cThe general narrative [of the poll] is that the mayor is not popular for somebody going into reelection, but the majority of people have not made up their mind whether they\u2019ll come back to her or go to someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n City Councilmember Nithya Raman meets with reporters after filing paperwork to run for mayor of Los Angeles. <\/p>\n (Christina House \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n Bass campaign spokesperson Doug Herman did not respond directly to the poll. But he said in a statement that the mayor \u201ctook on the challenge to change Los Angeles after decades of decline from long ignored issues; resulting in first ever back to back drops in homelessness, 60 year lows in homicides and an unprecedented 40,000 affordable housing units accelerated.\u201d<\/p>\n Pratt said through a campaign spokesperson, \u201cThe Emerson poll confirms what we\u2019ve been seeing on the ground \u2014 this is a two-person race for Mayor of Los Angeles between me and Karen Bass. Angelenos are frustrated with the direction of the city and it\u2019s reflected in her low approval numbers. Our campaign is gaining real momentum as more voters look for new leadership focused on results and accountability. This race is just getting started.\u201d<\/p>\n Raman\u2019s campaign, however, said she\u2019s the one gaining momentum.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s clear that voters want change, and we\u2019re gaining momentum for our campaign to make L.A. more affordable and to govern with urgency and accountability,\u201d the campaign said in a a statement.<\/p>\n The field of candidates did not take shape until the week of the February filing deadline. Billionaire developer Rick Caruso and L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath both flirted with a run before deciding against it, and former L.A. schoolsSupt. Austin Beutner dropped out after the death of his 22-year-old daughter. With no other major candidate opposing Bass, Raman filed her paperwork with hours to spare. <\/p>\n With petitions still being verified, 13 mayoral candidates have qualified for the June ballot. If no one gets 50% of the vote in the primary, the top two finishers will head to a runoff in November.<\/p>\n \u201cThis race could shift dramatically come June,\u201d Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said in a statement.<\/p>\n Kimball cited the large percentage of undecided voters of all stripes \u2014 67% of independents, 49% of Democrats and 37% of Republicans are undecided. Pratt is a Republican, and the other major candidates are Democrats in a heavily blue city.<\/p>\n Pacific Palisades resident Spencer Pratt, who lost his home in the Palisades fire, stands with supporters after announcing his run for Los Angeles mayor on the one-year anniversary of the Palisades fire in the Palisades Village on Jan. 7, 2026. <\/p>\n (Genaro Molina \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n The poll is not the first to show negative views of Bass. <\/p>\n Last year, after the Palisades fire, a poll of L.A. County residents<\/a> by the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs found that 37% held favorable views of the mayor, while 49% held unfavorable views. <\/p>\n The Emerson poll also featured questions on issues such as public safety and homelessness. <\/p>\n More than 82% of Angelenos in the poll said they feel very safe or somewhat safe in their communities, while about 17% said they feel not too safe or not safe at all.<\/p>\n On homelessness, the view was grimmer. Only 15% of Angelenos polled said that homelessness is getting better, while more than 55% said it is getting worse. Almost 30% feel it is staying the same. <\/p>\n Los Angeles has seen significant reductions in street homelessness for the last two years,<\/a> after years of steady increases. <\/p>\n Bass has attributed the declines to her signature Inside Safe program, which clears encampments and places homeless people in short term housing.<\/p>\n![\"Los](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773269049_93_.jpeg\")
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