Matzav

With Election Day just around the corner, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and her rivals spent the weekend making appearances across the city as an unexpectedly tight mayoral contest appeared increasingly likely to continue into a runoff election.

Bass, who is seeking another term in office, faces challenges from former reality television personality Spencer Pratt and Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman in Tuesday’s primary.

Recent surveys suggest that none of the candidates is on track to secure an outright majority, making a second-round runoff in November increasingly probable. Under the city’s election system, if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, the two highest vote-getters advance to a head-to-head contest later in the year.

On Saturday, Bass, whose campaign has attracted support from prominent Democrats including Kamala Harris and California Governor Gavin Newsom, campaigned at Yosemite Recreation Center in the Eagle Rock neighborhood.

During the event, Bass served tacos to attendees while wearing an apron emblazoned with the phrase “Common Sense and Carne Asada.”

Bass also used a Saturday Instagram livestream to criticize Pratt, drawing a contrast between his entertainment background and the responsibilities of public office.

“You have a failed reality TV star who wants to be famous,” she said while speaking with two actresses before appearing to reference President Donald Trump. “We know what it means if you put somebody who is a reality TV star in a seat of power.”

Meanwhile, Pratt spent part of the day targeting Raman on social media, posting criticism of several of her recent campaign advertisements on X.

Raman, for her part, pointed to encouraging polling numbers in a video shared on Instagram and urged voters to turn out on Election Day.

“After millions of dollars of spending against us, we are still here and we are still competitive,” she said.

Pratt, best known for his appearance on the reality television series “The Hills,” has built much of his campaign around criticism of Bass’s handling of the devastating January 2025 wildfires that destroyed thousands of properties, including his own home in Pacific Palisades.

He has also made homelessness, public safety, and drug abuse central themes of his campaign, frequently arguing that city leadership has failed to address those issues effectively.

In recent weeks, Pratt has drawn increased attention and picked up endorsements from a range of reality television figures, entertainers, musicians, and media personalities.

Even so, Pratt faces a difficult path in Los Angeles, where Democratic candidates have traditionally enjoyed a significant advantage in municipal elections and where Republican-backed candidates have historically struggled to gain widespread support.

As New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani chose not to attend the annual Israel Day Parade, becoming the first sitting mayor to skip the event since it began more than six decades ago, former Mayor Eric Adams marched alongside Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana in a display of solidarity with Israel and the Jewish community.

Shortly before the parade got underway, Adams spoke with Arutz Sheva-Israel National News about the significance of participating in the event together with Israel’s parliamentary leader.

“Just being here with the Speaker of Knesset says a lot, and the clear display of unity for not only the country of Israel, but also the Jewish community globally.”

Adams said the joint appearance sent a powerful message of support and partnership.

“And that’s why we’re marching together. We will stand together, we will fight together, and we will ensure that the entire globe knows that the people of America and New York respect and will stand with the people of Israel,” he added.

Ohana noted that this year’s parade was marked by an unprecedented absence from City Hall.

“In more than 60 years of this parade, it is the first time that the mayor of New York will not attend,” he said.

At the same time, Ohana pointed out that the circumstances also led to a historic first from Israel’s side.

“We are very happy to have Mayor Adams. And for that reason, in more than 60 years of the parade, it is the first time that the Speaker of the Knesset will.”

The Knesset Speaker said he arrived with what he described as the largest parliamentary delegation ever sent from Israel to the New York event.

Ohana explained that the group included lawmakers from both coalition and opposition parties, reflecting broad support across Israel’s political spectrum.

According to Ohana, the purpose of the visit was to demonstrate solidarity with Jewish communities abroad at a time of growing challenges.

He said the delegation had come “to send a message to the Jewish world, to the Jews of New York. We are here with you. You are not alone.”

Closing his remarks, Ohana emphasized unity between Israel and Jews around the world.

“We stand together. Am Yisrael Chai,” Ohana concluded.

{Matzav.com}