LA Mayoral Race Heats Up as Nithya Raman Enters

Raman's entry creates a significant challenge from the political left for Mayor Karen Bass, a fellow Democrat and former ally. Bass endorsed Raman's successful city council re-election campaign in 2024, and Raman had previously backed Bass for mayor, making the challenge a surprise to many in Los Angeles politics. Raman, an urban planner, first won her council seat in 2020 by ousting an incumbent, a victory that drew comparisons to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. As chair of the City Council's Housing and Homelessness Committee, Raman has championed protections for renters and policies to increase the supply of affordable housing. She has been a vocal supporter of Measure ULA, a real estate transfer tax to fund homelessness programs, and has pushed for allowing more dense housing, like apartment buildings, in some single-family zones near transit—a proposal the council rejected in 2024. Mayor Bass has centered her first term on the homelessness crisis, declaring a state of emergency on her first day in office. Her signature program, "Inside Safe," aims to move people from street encampments into temporary housing like hotels. Under Bass, the city has seen a 17.5% decrease in street homelessness, the first consecutive two-year decline since counts began in 2005. Despite some progress, the scale of the crisis remains immense. In 2025, the total homeless population in the City of Los Angeles was estimated at 43,695. Housing affordability is a critical factor, with Los Angeles County renters needing to earn $49.58 per hour—nearly three times the city's minimum wage—to afford the average monthly rent of $2,578. The mayoral primary is scheduled for June 2, 2026, with a potential runoff on November 3, 2026, if no candidate secures a majority. While Bass holds the advantages of incumbency, Raman's challenge from the left creates a dynamic race focused on the pace and direction of the city's response to its most pressing issues.