Nithya Raman Defeats Karen Bass in Los Angeles Mayoral Race

Raman’s campaign gained ground amid frustration with persistent problems, particularly homelessness and deteriorating neighborhood services. She has pledged to oust the police chief, whom she considers too accommodating toward federal immigration authorities, and to address dirty streets, potholes, buckled sidewalks and broken streetlights.

On homelessness, Raman has called Bass’ response ineffective. Her proposals include expanding medical teams working with people in encampments and on the streets, with the aim of building trust and eventually bringing them indoors, as well as providing more housing for people living in city-rented hotels. Raman said the plans could cut the number of people sleeping in tents and encampments by at least half by 2028, when Los Angeles will host the Olympic Games. The crisis has persisted despite billions of dollars in regional spending.

A Berkeley IGS/LA Times poll conducted from October 19 to 25 found about four in 10 likely voters considered reducing homeless encampments a top priority for the next mayor. About three in 10 named public safety or building more affordable housing. Raman, an urban planner, also campaigned on a message of change, declaring in an advertisement, “Our city is in crisis,” and asking, “Where is our mayor?” Bass had described Raman as “not ready for primetime” and her positions on policing and homelessness as “extreme.”

Raman initially endorsed Bass, once an ally, but entered the race shortly before the filing deadline, saying Los Angeles had reached a “breaking point.” Bass, 73, becomes the first mayor in two decades to lose a reelection bid. Her first term was overshadowed by the deadly Palisades Fire, which ignited while she was out of the country and caught the fire department unprepared.

Bass had backing from Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Vice President Kamala Harris, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and nearly every City Council member. Raman had support from groups including Our Revolution, founded by Sen. Bernie Sanders, and the Sierra Club, but few prominent local politicians. Billionaire developer Rick Caruso said he was voting for Bass without formally endorsing her. Raman’s victory follows a year of insurgent left-wing challenges to Democratic establishment candidates, including Zohran Mamdani’s election in New York last year.