Spencer Pratt

Federal prosecutors announced charges against 28 green-card holders as part of "Operation Protect the Vote," alleging they registered or voted as citizens in California; 11 were arrested. Prosecutors say defendants claimed citizenship on registration forms, in some cases voted, then denied citizenship on naturalization paperwork—felony conduct carrying up to five years, with noncitizen voting in a federal election carrying one year. All defendants are presumed innocent. The case follows separate, unrelated Los Angeles prosecutions over paid registrations and forged petitions. Separately, the Department of Justice is seeking a federal court order blocking ballots tied to more than 20,000 flagged "likely" noncitizen registrants, a figure state officials dispute, with California's attorney general questioning discrepancies in Homeland Security's broader estimates.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and City Council member Nithya Raman met in a forum sponsored by the Jewish Federation Los Angeles, days before mail ballots go out, as the city grapples with homelessness, crumbling infrastructure and a continuing exodus of Hollywood production jobs. Raman, backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, initially endorsed Bass before entering the race herself, drawing comparisons to Zohran Mamdani's democratic-socialist win in New York, though her campaign has lacked similar star power or visibility.

Bass, the incumbent since 2022, has faced criticism over her handling of the deadly Palisades Fire and a summer warehouse fire, along with data showing homelessness rose after a brief decline; she blames federal policy cuts. She retains major establishment backing, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, Kamala Harris and labor unions. Raman argues City Hall favors insiders at working people's expense and has pledged faster housing construction and better city services. Republican Spencer Pratt, who gained attention with AI-boosted campaign videos, failed to make the runoff but continues criticizing both rivals. Voter engagement remains low as the race competes with national political turmoil for attention.