LOS ANGELES — Forget Spencer Pratt and Donald Trump. Karen Bass is saving her harshest rebuke for a fellow Democrat.
The embattled Los Angeles mayor largely refrained from attacking Pratt, one of her main challengers, during a POLITICO event in the city Wednesday, hours after the former reality star drew support from Trump.
Her comments, projecting herself as a veteran politician with relationships across government and experience to move the city forward through multiple crises, were a microcosm of her campaign’s argument for a second term — and she argued her leftist challenger Nithya Raman,a former ally, couldn’t make an equally compelling case.
“I’m not paying attention to that very much,” Bass said in response to a question about Trump — who is profoundly unpopular in overwhelmingly Democratic Los Angeles — lauding Pratt as a “big MAGA person.”
Instead, Bass offered a sharper critique of Raman, a City Council member who launched a surprise challenge from Bass’ left flank earlier this year and is in a fight with Pratt for the second spot in a November runoff. Bass described Raman as ineffective and unable to forge strong working relationships with her colleagues. The council’s progressive bloc has backed Bass over Raman.
“I question her ability to lead the city when she struggles being a member of the city council,” Bass said.
To win a second term, Bass will need to overcome pervasive public frustration with her handling of devastating wildfires and the subsequent rebuilding process. Pratt, who lost his home in the blazes, has channeled public discontent to power his fast-rising bid.
Asked whether she and Raman could rekindle their friendship after the mayoral contest concludes, Bass responded with a terse “maybe.” She also said she’d accept the endorsement of her 2022 opponent Rick Caruso, who passed on running again this year.
Bass did push back on Pratt describing homeless people as “zombies,” suggesting he was ignorant of the underlying drivers of the crisis, claiming that older women are the fastest-growing group of people losing housing.
“I would be reluctant to call an 80-year-old woman a zombie,” she said.
And she denounced Trump’s “egregious” immigration crackdown, amplifying an earlier tweet in which she sought to yoke Pratt to Trump’s agenda by warning they “want ICE to invade our city and kidnap our neighbors” before adding a jab at Raman.
But Bass also touted her collaboration with the Trump administration on issues like wildfire aid, saying she was hopeful a recent White House meeting would help unlock federal assistance while also playing up her relationship with Los Angeles rebuilding czar Lee Zeldin.
from Politics, Policy, Political News Top Stories https://ift.tt/NRw4gHe
via IFTTT
0 Commentaires