Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt said 60% [1] of the city's homeless population is brought to the area from outside California.
The claim highlights a growing debate over whether the homelessness crisis in the U.S. is driven by local systemic failures or by migration patterns. By attributing a majority of the population to out-of-state arrivals, Pratt suggests that the city's challenges are linked to external factors.
During an interview on "Real Time with Bill Maher," Pratt discussed the demographics of those experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles. He said that most of the population is not native to California but has instead been "brought" to the state from elsewhere [3].
"Ready for the best part?" Pratt said [1].
Pratt is using the issue of homelessness as a central pillar of his campaign for mayor. His argument implies that the scale of the crisis is fueled by people arriving from other states, a point that surprised the host of the program.
Bill Maher responded to the candidate's presence and claims during the segment. "I don’t hate Spencer Pratt," Maher said [5].
The discussion comes as the mayoral race in Los Angeles tightens, with candidates focusing on the visibility and growth of encampments across the city. Pratt's assertion that 60% [1] of the homeless population comes from out-of-state positions the issue as one of migration and regional attraction rather than solely a local housing shortage.
“"Most of Los Angeles' homeless population is not from California but has instead been 'brought' to the state from elsewhere."”
This claim shifts the narrative of homelessness from a local failure of social services to a broader issue of interstate migration. If a majority of the homeless population is indeed from out-of-state, it provides a political opening for candidates to argue for different policy approaches, such as stricter border controls or changes to how the city manages arrivals, rather than focusing exclusively on local affordable housing initiatives.
