Los Angeles City Councilwoman Nithya Raman entered the city’s crowded mayoral race on Saturday, marking a shocking and last-minute move to challenge longtime ally Mayor Karen Bass after previously endorsing the mayor.
The progressive city councilwoman called Bass an “icon” during an interview with the Los Angeles Times, but said that in recent months, Los Angeles has been “at a breaking point.” Raman told reporters that the city has failed to address voters’ concerns regarding crime and the decline in opportunity, among other issues.
“I do think Angelenos have really given us a lot of faith, voted for more taxes to address important housing issues, address homelessness, to address some of our biggest crises,” Raman said. “And if we don’t show results to them, I think we will lose them.”
Raman, who has sat on the City Council since 2020, launched her campaign hours before a filing deadline to qualify for the June primary election. Bass previously announced that she had secured Raman’s endorsement last month, featuring her in a list of a dozen San Fernando Valley political leaders who backed her reelection campaign. The pair has worked in tandem on a number of projects, including initiatives for street and park revitalization.
Raman is one of over two dozen candidates running against Bass, as the mayor has faced sweeping scrutiny for her handling of the Los Angeles fires, among other issues. Investigations revealed Bass requested alterations to a city report evaluating officials’ response to the fires. The changes made the report less critical of the officials’ crisis management and hurt Bass’s political standing.
But Bass had appeared to avoid heavyweight challengers before Raman’s announcement threw the mayoral race for a loop.
LOS ANGELES MAYORAL RACE UPENDED BY ALLEGATIONS KAREN BASS ALTERED FIRE REPORT
Bass’s campaign slammed Raman in a statement released on Saturday.
“The last thing Los Angeles needs is a politician who opposed cleaning up homeless encampments and efforts to make our city safer. Mayor Bass will continue changing L.A. by building on her track record delivering L.A.‘s first sustained decrease in street homelessness, a 60 year-low in homicides, and the most aggressive agenda our city has ever seen to make our city more affordable,” campaign adviser Douglas Herman said.
