The Karen Bass v. Nithya Raman L.A. mayoral race is a contest between “Devil you know” Bass voters versus “What do we have to lose?” Raman supporters. But, as long-time readers of this column know, the McIntyre Corollary has never been more obvious: A.) the Devil you know is still a Devil and B.) it can always get worse.

By nearly every metric, incumbent Mayor Karen Bass has failed. All the problems she promised to address four years ago are still with us, including homelessness and unaffordable housing, which have worsened despite vast sums spent. Almost two years after the catastrophic Palisades fire, more shovels have been stuck in the ground at Forest Lawn than in one of America’s wealthiest neighborhoods. Hollywood continues to shed film/TV production while the much-ballyhooed “People Mover” at LAX has yet to move a single person. Meanwhile, the chief of the LAPD has repeatedly warned we don’t have enough officers to secure the rapidly approaching 2028 Olympics. Add to this the usual litany of civic ball drops like unwalkable sidewalks, a river that’s paved while our streets aren’t, litter and graffiti everywhere, with empty storefronts along once-thriving business corridors, and “anybody but Bass” would seem to be the obvious choice.

Unless that anybody is City Councilwoman Nithya Raman.

It’s hard to convince folks you’re an “outsider” when you’ve been part of the current system for six years, including three as chairperson of the failed City Council’s Housing and Homelessness Committee. But that’s how Raman has presented herself—as an agent of change, hoping to ride a progressive wave especially strong among younger Democratic voters. While trying to thread the needle on divisive issues like Israel/Gaza, her “no” vote on the Olympics, homeless encampments near schools, and defund-the-police nonsense, Raman’s boldest and potentially most reckless pledge is to fire LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell less than two years before the largest sporting event in America comes to L.A.

Raman and Bass have largely ignored the 217,799 disaffected GOP/conservative Angelenos who voted for a reality TV villain during the primary campaign. Raman’s outreach consists of a single Ronald Reagan quote at the start of the KNBC debate: “Are you better off now than you were four years ago?” Meanwhile, Mayor Bass, aware she’s in trouble, tossed up a Hail Mary appearance last week on John Kobylt’s KFI radio program after having ignored every legitimate concern of center-right constituents for her entire political career.

Despite the near-universal yippee deficit about either candidate, one of these two women will be mayor of Los Angeles at a critical time for both the city and the country. Stay the course or roll the dice? At 73, Karen Bass is who she is and is unlikely to miraculously transform like St. Paul struck by lightning and become a fearless fighter for reform. At best, she’ll continue business as usual on Spring Street with billions more spent on “solutions” that have solved zero problems while enriching the public employee unions and developers.

Which leaves us Nithya Raman.

A DSA mayor in Los Angeles would represent a shock to a calcified political culture where incumbents rarely lose, even when they’ve been indicted. And this system desperately needs a wake-up call. But is Ms. Raman capable of taking on the entrenched powers who run Los Angeles? Is she the one to turn the infamous anti-business (especially small business) culture of L.A. into a pro-growth market? Is blaming the LAPD for the actions of ICE the way to build trust in our huge Mexican/immigrant population? Is firing Jim McDonnell, a well-liked and respected chief, good for L.A.? Is it going to sway 217,977 Pratt voters? What are the odds on Kalshi?

There is a third option expressed by my fellow SCNG columnist Susan Shelly: don’t vote for anyone for mayor, making it easier to get a recall going no matter who wins.

This is an exceptionally grim view of the state of L.A. politics and written with sadness. Still, I hold out hope our next mayor will surprise us, beginning with something long missing from City Hall — honesty. Reform begins with blunt truths minus the spin. The city of Los Angeles has endured scandal after scandal with multiple arrests and imprisonments of city councilors, DWP officials, and other major agencies. L.A. shells out millions every year in settlements with zero consequences for those who run the various departments.

It matters greatly who we elect mayor of our city, our home, the engine that drives all of Southern California, one of the great cities of the world.

It’s time we act like it.

Doug McIntyre is a columnist for the SCNG.