Reality star turned Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt is fiercely criticizing California officials in his new memoir, The Guy You Loved to Hate, following the loss of his home in the January 2025 Palisades Fire.
Pratt calls the disaster an “absolute catastrophe of mismanagement and governmental failure, corruption and incompetence,” and rejects the idea that it was a mere act of nature. “They want to call it a natural disaster? No, this was negligence dressed up as an act of God,” he writes.
The reality TV personality directly targets Governor Gavin Newsom, whom he mockingly calls “Mr. Hair Gel” after Newsom labeled him a “C-list reality star,” accusing the governor of spreading misinformation about the fire.
Pratt claims the Palisades fire, along with the Eaton Fire in Altadena, was inevitable due to decades of budget cuts, ignored warnings, and politicians more focused on their careers than public safety. He emphasizes the stark cost imbalance: in 2024, Pacific Palisades residents paid $700 million in state taxes, while fire prevention efforts such as clearing dead brush would have cost just $200,000 and a day’s work.
He also blames dry reservoirs near his home, including the Santa Ynez Reservoir and the Palisades Reservoir, for worsening the fire’s impact. “Hydrants in the Palisades were close to being empty,” Pratt writes. “Fire department helicopters were forced to fly all the way to Pepperdine in Malibu and Encino in the Valley to get water …”
In his memoir, Pratt paints a picture of a disaster that could have been managed if proper precautions were taken, including better funding for fire prevention and a functioning water supply. His personal loss underscores his broader argument that California’s wildfire response is plagued by systemic neglect and political priorities that put residents at risk.
Pratt’s memoir and outspoken criticism come as he campaigns for LA mayor, highlighting a personal narrative of loss intertwined with a call for reform in the state’s emergency preparedness and governance.
