By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2026-06-10 00:49:33 | Updated at 2026-06-10 02:29:22
1 hour ago
A series of shocking videos appear to show homeless residents on Los Angeles’ Skid Row claiming they were paid to vote for Mayor Karen Bass and Councilwoman Nithya Raman.
The California Post obtained copies of the videos after they were published Tuesday on the TikTok account LaneNeedsSpencerPratt.
The footage, recorded near 7th Street and Flower Street in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday morning, has since been provided to the Department of Justice.
The content creator behind the videos said he visited the area after being alerted by a friend who works nearby and claimed to have seen political volunteers operating in the neighborhood in the lead-up to the election.
One man, identified as Kevin Shepherd, claimed he received $4 to vote for Bass.
When asked whether he would also have been paid to vote for Raman, Shepherd claimed the answer was yes and said Spencer Pratt was not among the candidates he was encouraged to support.
Shepherd further claimed he completed a mail-in ballot for Bass and deposited it in a ballot box.
“Everybody said it was normal,” the content creator told The Post.
“They said people came through all the time.”
The creator said he spent about two hours speaking with residents, many of whom claimed voter-registration and outreach efforts were a routine part of life on Skid Row before Election Day.
Several residents alleged that groups regularly visited the area asking people to sign paperwork, though some acknowledged they did not fully understand what they were signing.
One woman who said she supported Bass told the creator she was still unclear about some of the forms she had completed.
According to multiple residents interviewed on camera, outreach workers allegedly visited the area as often as three to five times a week before the election, with several organizations purportedly involved.
Another woman, who said she was living on the street, claimed she was told to vote for Bass and received $2 in exchange.
“They gave you an optional choice,” one man claimed, alleging he negotiated for a higher payment and ultimately received $4.
Rene Johnson, 39, who said she lives on Skid Row, claimed she received $5 after being told to vote for Bass.
She also alleged that homeless residents were being taken advantage of.
A fourth resident, identified as Mark Sanchez, claimed he had been approached repeatedly by political canvassers.
“To sign a petition for the mayor or different things in office and they paid me $4 or $5 in different accounts,” Sanchez claimed.
Sanchez further alleged the payments occurred multiple times.
“It happened more than four or five times,” he claimed.
No voter-registration activity was observed by The Post during the visit. However, several residents interviewed in the videos described political outreach efforts as a common occurrence in the neighborhood during the campaign.
The videos surfaced one day after former reality television star Spencer Pratt was eliminated from the Los Angeles mayoral race as Raman surged into contention for a runoff spot.
The California Post was unable to independently verify the claims made in the videos. It is unclear who conducted the alleged outreach efforts, whether any payments were connected to voting activity, or what documents residents were asked to complete.
Neither Bass nor Raman has been accused of wrongdoing, and there is no evidence either campaign was involved in the alleged activities described by the individuals interviewed.
However, the videos offer a glimpse into the extensive political outreach operations that several residents claimed were a regular feature of Skid Row life in the lead-up to the election.
