A week before the primary that could decide who the next mayor of Los Angeles is, incumbent Karen Bass and poll-rising challenger Spencer Pratt got legal and personal today in their war of campaign words.

The white gloves have been off for a while as The Hills alum tries to use the loss of his Pacific Palisades home last year in the wildfires as leapfrog to City Hall. But coming out of the long weekend, Pratt hit Bass hard with claims of election law violation that actually could muddy the waters.

With Pratt accusing Bass online of having a “reckless disregard for the rule of law,” a letter to the city clerk and a court filing from Pratt lawyer Peter J. McNulty says a video from the front-running mayor clearly shows her “soliciting votes” and “holding signs asking voters to vote for her.” Under California statutes, it is illegal to be electioneering be within 100 feet of a polling station or dropoff ballot box.

Going for less is more, with a jab at some pro-Pratt online ads, Bass swung back late this morning.

“Spencer is just mad that his supporters are AI cartoons and we have real Angelenos,” the seasoned politician said of her Donald Trump playbook inspired challenger. “We follow the rules.”

RELATED: Spencer Pratt Literally Running A Reality TV Bid For L.A. Mayor; ‘AKA Charlie Sheen’ Producer Behind New Show

Pratt lawyer McNulty did not respond to Deadline’s request for comment on the mayor’s remarks

“Someone in a position of power should be especially respectful of our democratic laws, but this is just emblematic of Karen’s mafia-like regime,” the donor-rich Pratt had said previously Tuesday in a post on X. ‘It’s ‘rules for thee, but not for me,'” the Hotel Bel-Air resident went on to say, pounding the anti-establishment drum that has propelled him to a projected second place in the June 2 vote.

In his initial posting, Pratt cited a Bass video from late last week that sure does appear to confirm his point.

You can drop off your ballot at voting centers and drop boxes throughout the city. Voting early is easy, even Babies for Bass agree! pic.twitter.com/aVw3WuPLwB

— Karen Bass (@KarenBassLA) May 25, 2026

However, according to the Bass campaign, two separate locations were used for the May 24 clip. The part with signs was more than 200 feet away from a ballot box, and there were no signs in the part closer to the ballot box. Or, without the math: “This complaint is just blatantly false,” a Bass campaign spokesperson told Deadline.

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Under the rules and regulations of the Golden State, unless one candidate gets more than 50% in the primary, it become a two-person runoff for November — as occurred between then-Congresswoman Bass and developer Rick Caruso in 2022. With Councilmember Nithya Raman currently in third place in a crowded pack of contenders for the mayor’s job, Bass has been accused of using the tried-and-true Cali Dems playbook employed by now-Sen. Adam Schiff and others of setting up a GOP rival in the primary to ensure a big and low-budget win in the fall.

BTW, here are the AI cartoons, Bass was referring to: