government
Recent college graduate identified as creator of phony L.A. mayor's race poll
Summary by The Los Angeles Editorial Desk · Byline on the source page: Sandra McDonald, Noah Goldberg , as published by Los Angeles Times - California
· August 21, 2026
· 1 min read
Photo: Los Angeles Times - California · view original
Story provenance No corrections
Summary created by The Los Angeles Editorial Desk — automated, rule-governed Byline on source page Sandra McDonald, Noah Goldberg, as published by Los Angeles Times - California Original story Read at the source Source published Aug 21, 2026 Indexed here Aug 21, 2026 AI assistance Automated summary drawn from the source’s own published text Prepublication human review No — editorial rules, flagged-item review, and published samples
Every story comes with a passport. How we work · Corrections log
Key points Rahil Prakash has taken responsibility for creating the fake poll, which was released under the name Median Strategies. The source provides more information about the fake poll and its creator, Rahil Prakash, who admitted to releasing the false information under the Median Strategies name.
A recent college graduate has been identified as the creator of a phony poll related to a mayoral race. Rahil Prakash has taken responsibility for creating the fake poll, which was released under the name Median Strategies. The poll claimed a significant lead for a candidate named Bass.
Further details about the incident are available from the source. The fake poll was related to the L.A. mayoral race, according to the information provided.
The source provides more information about the fake poll and its creator, Rahil Prakash, who admitted to releasing the false information under the Median Strategies name.
More government Today’s briefing Local events
Why this story is here
Los Angeles Times - California reported and published this story. The Los Angeles selected it, summarised the key facts above, and links to the original. We did not report this story and we added no reporting of our own to it.
About this story
As published by Los Angeles Times - California . The Los Angeles selects stories from publishers’ feeds, summarises them, and links back to the publisher that reported them. We add no reporting of our own. We attribute every source, link to the original report, and follow a documented editorial standards policy. To understand how stories are selected and reviewed, read our about page .
For the complete original report, visit Los Angeles Times - California . Have a tip or correction? Contact the editor .
Category: government ·
Published: August 21, 2026 ·
Source: Los Angeles Times - California ·
Reading time: 1 min
Frequently asked about this story
What is this story about? A recent college graduate has been identified as the creator of a phony poll related to a mayoral race. Rahil Prakash has taken responsibility for creating the fake poll, which was released under the…
When was this published? This article was first published on August 21, 2026 by Los Angeles Times - California and curated for The Los Angeles readers.
Who reported this story? This story was reported by Sandra McDonald, Noah Goldberg at Los Angeles Times - California. To learn more about how The Los Angeles selects and reviews stories, see our editorial standards .
Where can I find related coverage? See more government coverage from The Los Angeles, or browse our daily briefing and topic hubs .
← Back to all news
More government →
Today’s briefing
Subscribe to newsletter