A much-hyped mayoral debate hosted by the Housing Action Coalition and Streets For All, groups aligned with pro-housing and DSA-backed policy circles, collapsed into a glitch-filled mess Monday night, with a broken livestream turning the event into a digital debacle.
The event, Shaping Los Angeles: A Debate About the Future of LA, was held at L.A. Center Studios and billed as a key early showdown in the 2026 mayoral race.
It didn’t go smoothly. The debate started roughly 15 minutes late, then things quickly unraveled.
Audio cut in and out. Video froze. Candidates’ answers became unintelligible as the livestream sputtered, leaving viewers struggling to follow even basic exchanges.
Online, frustration boiled over. “FIX THE AUDIO,” one viewer said.
“Did y’all just forget to troubleshoot?” a commenter added, as others compared the sound to an “alien language.”
“1 zillion dollar budget deficit and we can’t get good wifi???? WTF!!!!!!” another blasted.
At its peak, more than 330 viewers were tuned in, many abandoning the stream altogether as the glitches dragged on.
“I’m out,” one user posted. “FIX THE STREAM or I’m out,” another said.
“Good golly… this audio is dog a–,” one comment read.
The technical meltdown overshadowed what organizers said would be a substantive conversation on housing costs, homelessness and infrastructure, some of the most pressing issues facing Los Angeles voters.
Confirmed participants included City Councilmember Nithya Raman, community organizer Rae Huang and nonprofit founder Adam Miller.
But two major figures were missing: Mayor Karen Bass skipped the debate, and mayoral hopeful Spencer Pratt also did not attend, leaving challengers to take center stage in a race that is only beginning to take shape.
But Monday night, those policy fights took a backseat.
Instead, the loudest voice came from the comment section, where viewers summed up the night in real time:
“Fix the city? FIX THE AUDIO!!”