Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass's team have hit out at Spencer Pratt's bid to take her job

Douglas told Entertainment Weekly in a statement: "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."

Announcing his bid to become mayor, the former Hills star claimed "the system" in Los Angeles is "funamentally broken".

He said: "The system in Los Angeles isn't struggling, it's fundamentally broken. It is a machine designed to protect the people at the top and the friends they exchange favours 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. That's why I am running for mayor."

Spencer promised to overhaul the city while speaking at the They Let Us Burn! protest.

He explained: "This is a mission, and we're gonna expose the system.

"We're going into every dark corner of L.A. politics and disinfecting the city with our life and when we are done, L.A. is going to be camera-ready again."

Spencer also slammed California Governor Gavin Newsom.

He said: "Gavin Newsom and the state of California created an insurance market so hostile that every major carrier stopped writing policies and dropped our families and our neighbours just before the sparks flew here in the Palisades."

In February 2025, Spencer explained that he was still trying to "process" the damage caused by the Los Angeles wildfires.

Asked how he was coping with the situation, Spencer - who has sons Gunner, eight, and Ryker, three, with Heidi - told E! News: "I'd say 'not good' is the honest answer. The last two days have been the hardest for some reason.

"I don't know if Heidi was processing sooner than I was, and I was so focused on Heidi's music success that I didn't have time to think about our situation."

At the time, Heidi acknowledged that the loved-up duo were facing "a long road ahead".

The Hills star said: "It's still so fresh. It seems kind of like old news to other people, but there's a long road ahead and it's gonna take years to get our life back. And hopefully we can."