Karen Bass heads to LA mayoral runoff after falling short of majority

Karen Bass has come out ahead in Tuesday’s heated primary for Los Angeles mayor, but with less than 50% of the vote will have to defend her seat in November’s general election. Bass will face either Spencer Pratt, a former reality TV star, or city council member Nithya Raman, in November. As of Tuesday evening, it was still unclear who would move on . In remarks to voters on Tuesday evening, Bass said she would spend the next four years addressing homelessness and building more housing units. She described Los Angeles as a rebounding city, and vowed to build on the progress made over the last three and a half years. Invoking the “dark day” a year ago when Donald Trump sent immigration troops into the city, Bass declared: “We are a city that is unified.” Los Angeles’s next mayor will be tasked with showing progress in curbing the homelessness crisis, an issue that has long vexed the nation’s second-most populous city, revitalizing Hollywood amid a production exodus and shoring up emergency response programs after last year’s deadly wildfires. The race initially seemed poised to be an intra-party match-up between Bass and her former ally Raman. But the contest took a turn in its final weeks as Pratt made substantial gains in polling and sparked national attention with controversial campaign videos and a combative debate performance. …