Commentary: For mayoral candidates and all of L.A., here's the homelessness conversation we must have

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Ron, a West L.A.resident, thinks he knows why former reality TV star and political newcomer Spencer Pratt won so much support in his run for mayor.People are frustrated, frightened and angry about homelessness “and the crime associated with it,” Ron said in an email.

He added that he voted for Mayor Karen Bass, but “almost everything Pratt said about the homeless resonated with me.… The homeless run wild here, without consequence.”“Many of us support him not because we think he’s perfect,” said Kathy, “but because we are deeply dissatisfied with the direction of Los Angeles and feel that traditional politicians have not delivered the results we were promised.”Bob, “a left-leaning Palisades resident,” said the issue is not Pratt’s lack of credentials, but the failures of incumbents.

“There was a columnist … who documented in depth the situation at MacArthur Park,” Bob wrote in reference to me.“What was his name and what happened to him? Did he change his tune?”These are all fair points, and if Pratt holds onto one of the top two spots and makes it to the Nov.

3 general election, or he’s overtaken by late-charging Councilmember Nithya Raman, we’re going to hear a lot more about homelessness in coming months.So whether we’re looking at a Bass-Raman contest or a Bass-Pratt showdown, here are some random musings, and I’ll begin by responding to Bob’s question about whether I have changed my tune.Not in the least.The situation in MacArthur Park — targeted Thursday in a crackdown that involved multiple arrests — has long been a disgrace, and the same is true of many other places I’ve written about for the past quarter of a century.Last month, I visited a Hollywood neighborhood where one frustrated resident hired her housekeeper to document chronic problems related to homelessness, illegal dumping and criminal activity.Residents have ...