Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman went to a polling station in Silver Lake earlier today to cast her ballot.

Raman, who is trailing Mayor Karen Bass by 1% in the most recent poll, said she believes her honesty about the state of the city resonated with voters.

“have a very honest message about the challenges that we’re facing today and what we need to do to take on bigger things as a city to have a more hopeful and resilient future. It will require change. It will require hard work. It will require grappling with this moment,” Raman said outside the polling station, standing next to her family.

Nithya Raman, Los Angeles city council member and Democratic mayoral candidate, departs after casting her ballot at a polling location inside Silverlake Community Church in Los Angeles, California, US, on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. The vote tabulation generally takes days to complete in California elections, because a mail-in ballot is valid as long as it was postmarked on Election Day and received no later than seven days after the election. Photographer: Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Nithya Raman, Los Angeles city council member and Democratic mayoral candidate, departs after casting her ballot at a polling location inside Silverlake Community Church in Los Angeles, California, US, on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. The vote tabulation generally takes days to complete in California elections, because a mail-in ballot is valid as long as it was postmarked on Election Day and received no later than seven days after the election. Photographer: Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images