Courtesy Nithya Raman campaign
On Feb. 7, City Councilmember Nithya Raman surprised Los Angeles by launching a mayoral campaign. Among the many questions this raises is, what do her District 4 constituents think of her?
The Eastsider asked 47 people involved in community groups and organizations, such as local neighborhood councils. One notable result was the number who answered. We expected a few replies. We got 15, including seven who answered how they’d vote in a head-to-head race between Raman and Mayor Karen Bass (Raman 6, Bass 1).
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All respondents answered as private individuals, not as representatives of any organization. Here are some takes.
‘Responsive’
The word “responsive” appeared in nearly half of the opinions we received.
“I personally have found Councilmember Raman and her staff to be responsive, even if the answer was frustrating and tied up in bureaucratic red tape,” said Deborah Matlock, a community activist and president of the Los Feliz Improvement Association.
Ironically, this was Raman’s weak point when she entered office in 2020 and almost immediately faced a recall effort triggered by her perceived lack of response to a homeless encampment on Berendo Street.
Raman has been known to shift her approach—something many respondents noted.
Changing course
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When Raman recently stated she doesn’t want the Los Angeles Police Department to lose more officers, the L.A. Times noted that she had said “Defund the police” during her 2020 campaign for Council and that she had recently voted against hiring more cops.
Scott Plante of Silver Lake appreciated the move: “Happy to see her now say L.A. should not lose more police officers.” Ben Deeb of Los Feliz called that kind of shift “pragmatism,” saying, “When a policy she supports doesn’t pan out as expected, she’s willing to admit she was wrong and try something else.”
Nikos Constant of Silver Lake pointed out that Raman had to change her footing early when redistricting took away about 40% of the district that elected her, replacing it with a large section of the San Fernando Valley. She “had to mellow out on her more extremist views that were fueled by the DSA’s strategy of co-governance with their supported electeds,” Constant said.
Concerns remain
The Eastsider also heard compliments about Raman’s staffing, criticism that she turns too quickly to higher taxes and fees, and a call for more consistency with public safety.
Some people, though, simply want results.
“Responsiveness alone is not enough,” said Devin Homsey of Los Feliz. “Many neighbors continue to express concerns about core city services in our district, including street lighting, road maintenance, public safety, and progress on homelessness and housing affordability.”
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