Spencer Pratt, a former reality TV personality running for mayor of Los Angeles, has argued for moving some unhoused people with severe addiction into mandatory treatment and has discussed building a large rehabilitation facility as part of his approach.
Spencer Pratt, a former reality television personality and current Los Angeles mayoral candidate, has made forced treatment a centerpiece of his pitch to address street homelessness and public drug use.
According to The Daily Wire, Pratt discussed the idea in an interview with CNN’s Elex Michaelson, saying he wants to build a rehabilitation center for homeless addicts and describing it as being modeled on a veterans training center in Bentonville, Arkansas. In that interview, The Daily Wire reported that Pratt said, “You don’t get off these drugs with beds,” arguing that treatment and ongoing support are needed.
In recent public appearances, Pratt has also advocated a more enforcement-driven approach. The Los Angeles Times reported that Pratt has pledged to use police action and other coercive measures, including arrests and “mandatory medical treatment,” and that he argued at a mayoral debate earlier this month that the crisis cannot be alleviated “no matter how many beds you give these people.”
Pratt’s plan has drawn scrutiny over feasibility and legality. The Los Angeles Times noted that legal and social-services experts have questioned how such policies could be implemented given civil-rights protections, limited jail capacity, budget constraints and the strain on treatment services.
Pratt’s criticism of Mayor Karen Bass’ homelessness strategy was not fully verifiable from the sources reviewed. While he has criticized the city’s current approach and framed the problem as primarily driven by addiction, the specific claim that Bass’ policies have “failed after a decade of implementation” was not confirmed in the provided reporting.
