Mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt lashes out against LA Times report

Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt lashed out against a story from the LA Times that questioned whether he is living within the city limits, a requirement for the election. 

Pratt's home was destroyed in the Palisades Fire. 

"They want to try and write a hit piece about me about my residence?" Pratt said on social media. "They want to attack me for not living in the Palisades while running for mayor. Hey, brain surgeon, my house burned down."

CBS LA contacted Pratt's campaign for an interview. They directed us to the video he posted on social media.

"Pratt daddy used his SBA Disaster Loan to get an Airstream craned into my burned-out lot in the Palisades," Pratt said. 

An LA Times spokesperson said they stood by their story and the reporting. 

"The Times learned that Mr. Pratt was living in Carpinteria and contacted him and those around him for comment," the spokesperson wrote. "We stand by our story and the reporting of our journalists."

Former LA City Councilman and county supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky does not believe the issue will affect Pratt's ability to run for mayor. 

"Common sense tells me he lost his home in the Palisades," Yaroslavsky said. "He's got to find a place to live. I'm not sure this is an issue that gets any traction."

Yaroslavsky and his colleagues at UCLA's Luskin School of Public Affairs recently released a poll showing a wide-open race for LA Mayor. A whopping 40% of voters remain undecided. Among the top three candidates are:

• Mayor Karen Bass in first with 25%
• Pratt in second with 11%
• Councilwoman Nithya Raman in third with 9%

In California's election system, the top two vote-getters in the June primary will face off in the November general election. If a candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in the June primary, they win the election outright, forgoing the November election. 

With so many undecided voters, Pratt sees an opening. 

"I was born here, went to school at USC," he said. "I bleed Dodger blue. This is my city, and I'm taking it back."