An LA business leader says crime and fires are driving Mayor Spencer Pratt’s operation

SANTA MONICA, CA — A business leader and former city council candidate is responding to Spencer Pratt’s surge in the Los Angeles mayoral race by pointing to crime, recent wildfires, and a poor business climate as reasons why voters are dissatisfied with the status quo.

“I think a lot of people are concerned about what’s going on, they don’t really know how to fix this, and I think crime, homelessness, addiction, all of the above behaviors that are happening in our city as politicians are causing this, I think a lot of people see that,” John Putnam, president of Putnam Brands & Putnam Accessory Group, told Fox News Digital.

“And I think that Spencer actually brings light in a real way. He’s very grounded in bringing his issues and I think that resonates a lot. Even if you don’t want to vote for him, listen, although I think that affects a lot of people.”

Putnam, a former Santa Monica City Councilman in 2024, told Fox News Digital that even if his city of Santa Monica doesn’t vote for LA’s mayor, the winner’s field will have a “trickle-down” effect across the region.

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“California has a big problem, but the city, especially where we live, Santa Monica is a result of what’s happening in Los Angeles and around the world,” Putnam said. “In Santa Monica alone, we’re a people-driven economy. 80% of our revenue comes from outside of this city. We need the money from the people who come to visit.”

Putnam’s company, which he has owned for 40 years, is based near the city of Los Angeles and he told Fox News Digital that it is clear when you drive around the city that the business environment is very tied to crime, homelessness, high taxes, and other factors.

“It’s very expensive to do business here,” Putnam said. “Out of 250 cities surveyed over the last few years, Santa Monica was the number one place to be the most expensive place to do business and it’s because of all the legislation, all the other factors.

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TV personality and Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt visited “Fox & Friends” at the Fox News Channel Studios on Jan. 28, 2026, New York City. (Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)

“But on top of that, if you can’t create a welcoming place and a safe place and a clean place, there’s no hope. I mean, the bottom line, there’s no hope in that arrangement. So we have to do something quickly and the pain is there. Just us as voters, hopefully we’ll decide what we have to do to change that.”

Crime was a hotly debated issue in the mayoral race between Pratt, incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, and progressive Councilwoman Nithya Raman. Putnam says that in the past few years, crime has gotten worse, despite statistics that say violent crime is on the decline.

“There are all kinds of statistics, it’s so bad, everybody tries to smear it in different ways, but the statistics are there, they say crime is down, I think violent crime is down across the country, but all these little things are happening,” said Putnam.

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass visited the Pacific Palisades downtown business district on Jan. 8, 2025, in Los Angeles as the Palisades Fire continues to burn amid strong Santa Ana winds. (Eric Thayer/Getty Images)

“It’s reached every neighborhood. I mean, you know it’s south of Los Angeles, east. It’s everywhere. You know here in Santa Monica, we’re definitely victims of this crime trend, and the drug addiction that’s rampant in our city that’s causing this type of crime really doesn’t satisfy anybody. It doesn’t make us safe and it doesn’t protect our community.

About a year and a half ago, the Los Angeles area was devastated by wildfires in Altadena and Pacific Palisades that killed 31 people. The Palisades Fire burned within a few miles of Putnam’s Santa Monica home and destroyed more than 6,000 structures, including Pratt’s home.

Putnam told Fox News Digital that the fires, and criticism of Bass’s preparedness and response, are “certainly the point of every conversation” with Los Angeles residents as a number of homes have been rebuilt.

“People feel left out, they don’t feel like they’re being helped,” Putnam said. “I mean their whole town, Altadena and the Palisades was just destroyed. Besides, you had nail salons, you had all these hair salons, you had restaurants, these people are homeless because of their businesses, their income and they don’t get the love and attention they deserve, we need to come together and help those people. “

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LA council member Nithya Raman is also running against Republican Spencer Pratt for mayor of Los Angeles. (Eric Thayer/Getty Images)

“That’s what’s frustrating. I think people are angry, but also just really concerned. And I think this is actually, Spencer did a really good job of getting that out there and letting people know that this is not acceptable and we have a choice here.”

Pratt will face off in Tuesday night’s mayoral primary against Bass and incumbent city council member Nithya Raman in an election where the top two candidates will advance to the November general election; however, if a candidate receives 50% of the vote, he becomes the next mayor directly.