Spencer Pratt announces run for LA mayor on one-year anniversary of Palisades fire that destroyed his home

Spencer Pratt announced on the one-year anniversary of the start of the Palisades Fire that he plans to run for mayor of Los Angeles.

Pratt, whose home burned down during the fires last year, made the announcement during a “They Let Us Burn!” protest in the Pacific Palisades near the remains of his home Wednesday.

“On Jan. 7, 2025, [his wife] Heidi [Montag] and I lost our home. We lost every material possession we own. My parents lost their home too and, with it, decades of memories lost inside those walls,” Pratt emotionally told the crowd on Wednesday, calling it the “worst day of my life.”

The 42-year-old noted he grew up in the Palisades, “thinking that my two boys would grow up here just like I did with that same hometown feeling. Then, right before my eyes, that future that I envisioned burned to the ground.”

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Spencer Pratt announced on the one-year anniversary of the start of the Palisades Fire that he plans to run for mayor of Los Angeles. (Spencer Pratt/Instagram; MEGA/GC Images)

Pratt, a frequent critic of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom, said the most “heartbreaking” part of the last year was the “realization that all of this was preventable.”

The former “The Hills” reality star accused the state of letting “brush grow wild” in Topanga State Park for 50 years without wildfire maintenance and creating a “hostile” insurance environment that prompted carriers to drop them before the fires.

Spencer Pratt announces he’s running for mayor of Los Angeles on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, on the first anniversary of the Palisades Fire.  (Backgrid)

“I have realized that the city I love is being managed into the ground by people who don’t have the courage to actually lead,” he said. “Business as usual is a death sentence for Los Angeles, and I’m done waiting for someone to take real action. That’s why I am running for mayor. And let me be clear, this just isn’t a campaign. This is a mission.”

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After making his announcement, Pratt posted a photo of himself with his signed paperwork to run for mayor, writing, “Yes, it’s official. Papers are filed and campaign is open: mayorpratt.com.”

Since losing his home, Pratt has been vocal on social media, accusing city and state leaders of mismanagement, corruption and “criminal negligence” in their response to the fires.

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Former reality television star Spencer Pratt, who lost his home in the Palisades fire, has been an outspoken critic of California leaders over their management of the wildfire recovery efforts. (MEGA/GC Images)

In January 2025, Pratt and Montag sued the city of Los Angeles and the Department of Water and Power over the destruction of their home.

The “Hills” alums filed the suit Jan. 21, 2025, along with 20 other property owners, blaming the city and the utility company for the damage.

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Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag at a “They Let Us Burn!” rally in the Pacific Palisades on Jan. 7, 2026.  (Backgrid)

Republicans have also launched a congressional investigation into the fire response.

“When people are like, ‘How do you feel about Republican senators opening a congressional investigation into the Palisades?’ I’m just happy anyone is investigating why the people who paid almost $700,000,000 in taxes, to these people who are employees, aren’t being questioned in front of every judge, jury, investigator, cop, sheriff, detective,” Pratt said last year.

Spencer Pratt surveying his property after his home was destroyed. (Spencer Pratt Instagram)

He was also joined in the Palisades by U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler, who toured the damage amid delayed rebuild permits.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Pratt, Newsom and Bass for comment.

“It’s no shock that in advance of his imminent book release, a reality TV ‘villain’ who once staged a fake divorce to boost ratings and spent the last summer spewing post-fire misinformation and disinformation to pump up his social media following, would now announce he’s running for Mayor,” Douglas Herman, Bass’ campaign strategist, told Fox News Digital.

A spokesperson from Newsom’s office told Fox News Digital in part, “Topanga State Park is within LA city limits. By law, the fire response is the responsibility of the Los Angeles City Fire Department (LAFD), not the state. Parks is not a firefighting agency and does not direct fire response.”

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The governor’s office said, “With respect to the origin of the fire, the U.S. Department of Justice has determined that it was intentionally set by an out-of-state arsonist who was arrested in Florida. The governor expects the suspect to be held fully accountable under the law.

“Gov. Newsom has been focused on stabilizing and modernizing California’s home insurance market, especially as climate change drives more severe wildfire risk.”

The spokesperson added that California insurance rates “remain below the national average and significantly less than some other states.”