Reality TV star Spencer Pratt is running for mayor of Los Angeles. "The system in Los Angeles isn't struggling, it's fundamentally broken," Pratt, 42, said at the "They Let Us Burn" public demonstration on Wednesday, January 7, via the New York Post. "It is a machine designed to protect the people at the top and the friends they exchange favors with while the rest of us drown in toxic smoke and ash. Business as usual is a death sentence for Los Angeles, and I'm done waiting for someone to take real action." Pratt continued, "That's why I am running for mayor. And let me be clear, this just isn't a campaign, this is a mission, and we're gonna expose the system." The Hills star announced his candidacy on the first anniversary of the Palisades Fire, which killed 12 people and burned more than 6,800 homes near Pacific Palisades, California. Jonathan Rhys Meyers Loses Malibu Family Home in L.A. Wildfires Pratt and his wife, Heidi Montag, lost their home in the blaze and have since become advocates for fire victims hoping to rebuild in the Los Angeles neighborhood. (Pratt's parents, who resided nearby, also lost their home.) Both Pratt and Montag were in attendance for the "They Let Us Burn" rally, an event hosted by the Palisades Fire Residents Coalition described as a "peaceful, non-partisan public demonstration calling for accountability, transparency and meaningful reform in wildfire preparedness, emergency response, insurance recovery and environmental cleanup." According to Politico, Pratt declined to take questions after he spoke at the rally, but showed a reporter photos of himself signing official campaign paperwork to confirm his run. Spencer Pratt Courtesy of Spencer Pratt/Instagram Although fans met Pratt during his time on MTV's hit reality show The Hills, his focus in the past year has turned away from reality TV and onto fire recovery in the neighborhood where he was raising his children, Gunner and Ryker. His Instagram and TikTok are primarily focused on investigating what caused the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles. He has become an outspoken critic of current Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom. "It's been one year since the most devastating day of our lives, but we're still here fighting," Pratt wrote via Instagram on Tuesday, January 6. "Join us this Wednesday January 7th as we demand fairness, accountability and a vision for the rebuild of our town." In the days after learning his house had burned down, Pratt made headlines after asking his TikTok followers to help him raise money. After his request for assistance via social media received some backlash, he decided to respond to the critics. Celebrities Share Personal Photos of Heartbreaking Los Angeles Wildfires "Some demonic monster just wrote on my IG and tagged me, 'Of course Spencer's gonna milk his burned down house for every dollar it's worth.' Duh. Duh. That's right. Let me figure out every dollar I can get," Pratt said via TikTok in January 2025. "How do you people not have brains? Are you just the stupidest living creatures? Of course I'm trying to get money to pay for my life with my family because our house and all of our possessions burned down. And if I can do it on social media, which I've been making the only money I've made for years now continuously, showing my journey of our house burning down and all of our possessions, do you not think I'm going to keep milking it for every dollar?" Pratt concluded, "I'd rather have my house and no social media, let me tell you that much. I'd rather have everything in my house and delete all these stupid apps. I would much rather that. So, yes, I will continue 'milking' our misery on social media." The 2026 Los Angeles mayoral election will be held on June 2, 2026. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote, a runoff election will be held on November 3, 2026.