No candidate secured the simple majority needed to win yesterday's primary outright, meaning there will be a two-candidate run-off on November 8.

Caruso received 42 per cent of the vote and Bass 37, early results show.

Caruso only recently switched allegiance from the Republican Party to become a Democrat and is widely reported to have spent more than $35 million (£28 million/€33 million) of his own money on the campaign.

The billionaire's campaign is framed around a promise "to clean up LA", with tackling homelessness and crime issues at the top of Caruso's agenda.

Homelessness and crime have also featured prominently in the Bass campaign, although the Democrat representative for California's 37th district has also pledged to "return [Los Angeles] to the forefront of addressing climate change globally".

Bass is seeking to be the first woman elected Mayor of Los Angeles and is viewed as a progressive Democrat.

Whoever wins the run-off will be Mayor until 2026, covering a key period in the lead-up to the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.

Eric Garcetti, the current Mayor, played a key role in the bid and attended the 2017 International Olympic Committee Session in Lima where Los Angeles won the right to stage the event.

Garcetti is not able to seek re-election owing to term limits.

Garcetti has been put forward as the new US Ambassador to India by President Joe Biden, but his confirmation has been delayed amid an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment made against senior advisor Rick Jacobs.

The Mayor has insisted that he was unaware of complaints about Jacobs' behaviour - including under oath - but other depositions in the case do not support this version of events.

In 2028, Los Angeles is set to host the Olympic Games for the third time, after 1932 and 1984, but the Paralympics for the first time.

Los Angeles City Council approved the Games Agreement - a key accord which outlines responsibilities held by the city and the Organising Committee - in December last year.

The agreement crucially states that Los Angeles 2028 may request the officials "provide enhanced city resources that exceed normal and customary levels", while the City of Los Angeles is already on the hook for the first $270 million (£210 million/€250 million) should the Games run over budget after an "allocated contingency" of the same amount was put aside by the Organising Committee.