"Spencer Pratt, Go F Yourself"

From Jamie’s Desk:

We are officially 12 days from election day in California, and I still am struggling to decide who and what to vote for. When my ballot arrived in the mail, I ripped it open like any other political nerd with utter excitement – but then I looked at the ballot with complete confusion. It was like that moment in Big when Tom Hanks raises his hand and says “I don’t get it”. There are 30 people running for Governor, 14 running for mayor – and on top of that, there are judges, ballot measures and more. How are we supposed to make sense of it all?

To be honest, the answer is: it is really hard to know who and what to vote for, but it is the most important job we have in a democracy. Personally, it will mean pouring over candidate statements, ballot measure pros vs. cons, and talking to my community of people in the know before carefully deciding on who I think is best for the job in each race. Obviously, the big primaries that have attracted the most attention and money are far and away the races for Governor and Mayor, and rightly so. But the ballot measures, Congressional races, judges, city council, the county board of supervisors, and beyond are just as important. 

Sadly, everyone I talk to is still trying to get a sense of who the candidates are, and who will be the best one to lead this great City and State. Personally, my mind is almost made when it comes to the Governor. I think the choices at this point are pretty straight forward. To me, Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco are both disqualified for their belief that Donald Trump didn't lose to Joe Biden in 2020. In light of that, the only logical options at this point are Tom Steyer and Xavier Becerra. I really like Matt Mahan and Antonio Villaraigosa, and in another time or another race I would vote for them. But they are sadly polling too low to win, and we need to cast our ballots strategically to avoid both election deniers as our options in November.

The Mayoral race is an entirely different situation. Again, the choice seems clear to me, but I know there are still questions left to be answered. Because most of my community is made up of Angelenos, this is a lot more personal and has created a much bigger storm, rightly so. Because of that, I am not here to tell you who to vote for.

I am, however, here to tell you who not to vote for: Spencer Pratt. 

I’m not sure where to start on why this guy is so bad, and I can’t get into everything because that would take up an entire book. For starters, he was just endorsed by Donald Trump. So you should ask yourself, do I support Donald Trump? Do I believe his style of governing and lack of experience is what we want in LA? If so, then by all means – go vote for Spencer. 

This truly feels like the TV show Punk’d is back, and someone is going to pull back the curtain on a reality show being filmed. Oh wait, he actually is filming a reality show, so I guess that nightmare has come true. I know I’m not alone in feeling this way. There have been countless prominent and smart voices waving the red flag about Spencer — but still, some people are refusing to listen. 

Recently on Raging Moderates, Scott Galloway and Jessica Tarlov discussed if they would have him on their show, and this is what they said: 

Scott: "Mr. Pratt, go fuck yourself. We are absolutely not going to platform your bullshit conspiracy theory. LA needs help. It does not need you."

Jessica: "I was trying to be all policy-oriented, but I'm cool with 'fuck you' if you think Alex Jones is okay."

Yup. That’s my feeling as well. 

🇺🇸 In light of that, Matt Littman and I will be co-hosting a forum with a handful of candidates running for office Tuesday, 5/26 from 12-2 PT.  From the legitimate candidates for Mayor – Karen Bass, Nithya Raman and Adam Miller – to those running for Lt. Governor, Congress and many more. You’ll get the opportunity to directly hear from the candidates running for state and local elections before you cast your ballot.

Register here to join next week.

Discussed in this issue: Pasta in Rome, a behind-the-scenes look at Aaron Parnas making his content, and a documentary looking at the healthcare system through a new lens.

Have a restaurant rec, cultural gem, can’t-miss event, or a hot sauce that changed your life? Send it my way: [email protected]

🎧 Lunch With Jamie is available as a podcast—perfect for easy, on-the-go listening. Follow along on Apple, Spotify, or Amazon Podcasts, and don’t forget to like, subscribe, share, and comment. We want to hear from you!

🗳️ CA voters, and anyone interested in our state and local elections — join the candidate forum on Tuesday, 5/26 from 12-2 PT. Register here to join.

📍Los Angeles: Mario's Peruvian
Cuisine: Peruvian
Crew: Alex Tse, Ben Hundreds, Jason Spivak, Jerrold Son, Maximillian Chow, Eater, The Infatuation, The LA Times
Good For: Casual, Small Groups, Take Out, No Reservations
Pro Tip: This spot is great for a quick bite prior to Cinespia, or anything in Hollywood,. Be prepared that lines can be long during peak times.
What to Order: Lomo Saltado, Sopa Sustancia, Pescado Sudado, Saltado de Mariscos
Notes: This place has been cooking some of the best and authentic Peruvian food in LA since 1990. It is one of the few places where I break my rule that everything is better than cooked fish. Their Pescado Sudado is one of my favorite dishes in the city, and they’re famous for their Lomo Saltado — which is literally dripping with bold flavor. This is NO FRILLS, in a tiny strip mall on Melrose & Vine – but it is so good and worth the wait that it usually has. For those who aren’t down with eating in a hole in the wall, delivery is an option. Get extra of the green sauce (the aji verde).

📍New York City: Claud (reviewed by Ben Hundreds)
Cuisine: European Bistro
Crew: Aaron Stern, Adam Saper, Andy Wang, Jordan Okun, Marc Rose, Max Shapiro, Eater, Goop, Michelin Guide, The Infatuation, The New York Times
Good For: Date Night, Small Groups, Business Dinner, Good Drinks
Pro Tip: Don’t skip dessert. They’re famous for the chocolate cake, but the rice pudding was my favorite.
What to Order: Red Shrimp with Olive Oil and Garlic, Spinach and Artichoke Mille-Feuille with Oma, Chicken Liver Agnolotti, Rice Pudding
Notes: I really loved my dinner at Claud. The room is so comfortable and inviting.  The food is thoughtful and served with a purpose.  We started the meal with chicories, asparagus and snap peas.  All three dishes were perfectly executed and a nice way to start dinner.  The second course was where the meal really shined.  The red shrimp dish was one of the best things I ate in New York. The spinach and artichoke mille-feuille was incredible. It felt like they made the dish just for me. The chicken liver agnolotti was also an amazing bite. Desserts are a must at Claud.  Everyone talks about the chocolate cake, but I honestly preferred the rice pudding. Overall, the dinner is a 10/10, so if you get the chance to eat there, you 100% should.

You definitely know Aaron Parnas. His name might not sound familiar (though, if you follow politics – the last name definitely does), but there’s no way you’ve been active on social media and gone without seeing his signature direct-to-camera videos reporting breaking news updates. 

Aaron is a real life Dougie Howser. He graduated college at 18 (yes, you read that right) and became a lawyer at just 21 years old. But he has since left behind his law career to pursue independent media full time – and is doing it all by himself. 

He showed us his set-up, several monitors running (one of which streams CSPAN 24/7). His recording process is more simple: he takes out his iPhone and makes a front-facing camera video. No frills, no opinion, just the highlights of the situation as it unfolds. And that style of reporting has resonated with people, who in an endless news cycle of chaos and bullshit, just want the facts. 

I spoke to Aaron about his upbringing in a Republican family in Florida, and his shift into being a Democrat. We discussed his rise to internet fame – and how he managed to get 1 million Tik Tok followers in just two weeks. 

The recording was taking place as the horrific shooting in San Diego was unfolding. So Aaron was monitoring while he spoke with me, and even paused our conversation to make a video. That video was since deleted because the death toll changed, but it was interesting to see just how simple the process is. 

Of course, we had to cover current events. Aaron and I discussed a lot – including foreign conflicts, the Supreme Court, and which beats he’d choose to cover exclusively. 

This was a great conversation, and I hope you all enjoy it. 

You can listen to the full conversation on Youtube, or as a podcast on Apple, Spotify and Amazon.

Aaron Michaelson, Aaron Stern, Adam Saper, Adam Smith, Alex Tse, Andy Wang, Anthony Jacobson, Ashley Sawyer, Ben Hundreds, Blake Lively, Bobby Kim, Brian McGinn, Chad Colby, Chad Gutstein, Chris Rice, Condé Nast Traveler, David Gelb, David Katzenberg, David Nathanson, Evan Funke, Eater, Eli Meyer, Food & Wine, Goop, Kristina O’Neill, Iman Dakhil, Infatuation, James Beard Award, Jason Spivak, Jerry Greenberg, Jeremy Smith, Jerrold Son, Jessica Alba, Joe Varet, Jon Buscemi, Jon Alagem, Jon Shook, Jordan Okun, James Ponsoldt, Kate Burr, Katie McNeill, Kelly Sawyer Patricof, The LA Times, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lloyd Sacks, Marc Rose, Marc Mezvinsky, Martha Patricof, Matt Haimes, Matt Karatz, Max Chow, Max Shapiro, Max Winkler, Michael Kives, Michelin Guide, Nicole Richie, Neal Moritz, The NY Times, Paul Zucker, Peter Goldwyn, Phil Rosenthal, Phill Ettinger, Rachel Halilej, Riley Patricof, Sawyer Patricof, Shu Chowdhury, Todd Steinman, The Hungry Tourist, The Infatuation, Vinny Dotolo.

Today’s email was brought to you by: Jamie Patricof and Michaela Sullivan