Raman challenges Bass in Los Angeles mayoral race
The councilwoman cites service declines and fire responses as key reasons to unseat the incumbent on Tuesday.
By Robert Marshall ·
Los Angeles voters face a choice between incumbent Mayor Karen Bass and challenger Nithya Raman in Tuesday's mayoral election. The campaign has focused on the condition of city services and the leadership style of the current administration.
Raman, a councilwoman first elected in 2020, spoke with La Opinión during a Day of the Dead celebration in the Union-Hoover district on Monday night. She described the campaign as a demanding but rewarding process that allowed her to discuss residents' hopes with neighbors across the city.
The former Indian immigrant who moved to the United States as a child and studied at Harvard and MIT said she believes the current status quo in Los Angeles is failing. She stated that the city must be fixed to remain a place of opportunity for future residents.
Bass has characterized Raman as an outsider who does not know Los Angeles well enough to lead it. Raman responded that Los Angeles is a city of immigrants and that Bass is the only person questioning her qualifications for public office. Raman argued that voters want a leader who will serve them better.
Raman criticized the state of municipal services under Bass's tenure. She cited 30,000 broken streetlights, unpaved streets, and uncollected garbage as evidence of poor management. She also pointed to a lack of transparency in a homelessness program that cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
The councilwoman specifically referenced the 2025 fires in Palisades and Boyle Heights. She said Bass left the city during both crises. In the Palisades fire, Bass traveled out of the country despite fire risk warnings. In the Boyle Heights fire, Bass left for a party hosted by President Obama in Chicago after the flames began.
Raman noted that Bass returned to Los Angeles the day after leaving for Chicago during the Boyle Heights fire. She questioned why the mayor remained away for a full day while a warehouse burned and smoke filled the neighborhoods. She also recalled Bass telling Latin residents that the smoke was not dangerous, a claim Raman said contradicted public health recommendations on air quality.
On homelessness, Raman pointed to the results of Bass's flagship Inside Safe program. She said the city spent 400 million dollars on the initiative last year, but the number of people living on the streets increased. In contrast, she reported a 49 percent reduction in her own district.
Raman said Bass has run a negative campaign against her, particularly after Raman suggested firing Police Chief Jim McDonnell. Raman argued that Bass relies on fear because she cannot base her campaign on her own record. She described Bass's strategy as portraying an immigrant as a stranger in a city of immigrants.
Raman said she feels confident in the campaign she has run. She described it as a campaign of joy and proposals that inspired many people. On Monday afternoon, she met with 300 young people at UCLA who planned to knock on doors in nearby neighborhoods. She told La Opinión that Latinos and young people will likely decide the election and urged them to vote.
