LOS ANGELES—On May 6, Telemundo and NBC4 co-hosted the first 2026 Mayoral Debate moderated by Enrique Chiabra. There are 14 contenders competing for the mayor’s seat. The front-runners on the debate stage were Democrat incumbent Mayor Karen Bass (2022-2026), Democrat Los Angeles City Councilmember, Nithya Raman (2020-2026), and the newest contender, Republican Reality TV star, Spencer Pratt.

The other candidates vying for Mayor have no party affiliation, and have filed as non-partisan; Graphic Design Major, Bryant Acosta, Engineering major, Asaad Alnajjar, Affordable Housing advocate, Rae Chen Huang, Netflix Actor, Nelson Cheng, Rap Singer-Songwriter, Tish Hyman, Attorney, Andrew J. Kim, Mental Health Professional, Suzy Kim, Author, founder, and former Director of the Space Policy Institute, John Logsdon, Bellmont High School graduate, Juanita Lopez, Co-founder of Cornerstone On demand, Adam Miller, and Technical Engineer, Andrej Selivra.

The topics for debate included Homelessness, Affordable Housing, Public Safety, California Wildfires, and the Right to Vote.

The one question that only required a yes or no answer garnered the most media attention of the night. Moderator, Enrique Chiabra asked “Should noncitizens be allowed to vote in local election?”

The lone Republican was first to respond, without hesitation with a “No.”

Mayor Bass and Nithya Raman would not give a straight answer. Mayor Bass said, “It depends.” and then went on to explain. “Well, first-of-all, when you say noncitizens, it doesn’t mean they’re here illegally. It doesn’t mean they’re undocumented. They can have green cards. They could be here perfectly legal. And there’s a lot of states and cities that do that on local elections. We have to see what the councilman is proposing.”

Raman agreed with Bass saying, “I would say again, it does depend.”

According to the US Vote Foundation, you are eligible to vote in the state of California if you are; A U.S. Citizen, A resident of California, and at least 18 years old by election day.

You are not eligible to vote in California if; You are in prison for a felony conviction or if a judge has ordered that you, specifically may not vote.

Los Angeles County has been devastated by wildfires, flooding, mudslides and drought over the last few years. 331,358 acres burned. The response of the Palisades and Eaton fires has been deeply scrutinized because the area has yet to be rebuilt.

Los Angeles County officials report that 2025 Homeless Statistics show that homelessness in Los Angeles County has decreased by four percent. The fact remains that there are still over 72,000 unsheltered individuals in Los Angeles County.

The local elections are upon us. The Primary Election is scheduled for June 2nd, and the General Election is set for November 3rd. Please Vote.