A hedge fund manager who supports expanding the city\u2019s bicycle lane network is now the biggest single contributor in the Los Angeles mayor\u2019s race, putting $4 million into campaign committees that are backing City Councilmember Nithya Raman. <\/p>\n
Aaron Sosnick, who manages the hedge fund A.R.T Advisors, gave $3 million<\/a> last week to Estamos Con Nithya for Mayor 2026, an independent expenditure committee sponsored by the Western States Regional Council of Carpenters, according to city contribution records.<\/p>\n Sosnick, an avid bicyclist, put an additional $1 million into a pro-Raman committee sponsored by Streets for All, a group that advocates for bike lanes, bus lanes and other street redesigns. That group, which focuses on efforts to reduce the number of fatal vehicle collisions, has produced dozens of digital campaign ads<\/a> promoting Raman and criticizing her opponent, Mayor Karen Bass.<\/p>\n Michael Schneider, who heads Streets for All\u2019s political action committee, said the hedge fund manager \u201cwants to see change\u201d at City Hall.<\/p>\n \u201cHe likes to ride his bike in L.A., and he doesn\u2019t want to die,\u201d Schneider said. \u201cHe thinks L.A. should be better run and should be more multimodal … that you should be able to ride your bike or take a walk without risking your life.\u201d<\/p>\n Sosnick didn\u2019t respond to inquiries sent to him and to Schneider, who offered to forward them directly. Campaign contribution reports show Sosnick is based in Reno. He splits his time among Reno, New York City and L.A.\u2019s Los Feliz neighborhood, Schneider said.<\/p>\n Bass spokesperson Alex Stack took aim at the hedge fund manager\u2019s spending, saying Raman\u2019s wealthy backers are \u201ctrying to buy the election.\u201d Stack also issued a statement from David Huerta, president of Service Employees International Union-United Service Workers West, which is supporting the mayor.<\/p>\n \u201cOne out-of-state billionaire who is bankrolling Nithya Raman\u2019s campaign has no idea what our communities deserve,\u201d Huerta said.<\/p>\n Raman described Sosnick as a constituent and a board member with the Oaks Neighborhood Assn. Appearing at a news conference Sunday, she said she\u2019s spoken to him about \u201cthe need for safe streets here in the city of Los Angeles.\u201d<\/p>\n In a statement, Raman spokesperson Liz Garcia said the mayoral candidate also has talked to Sosnick \u201cabout proposed hillside development projects, concerns about party houses, and other quality-of-life issues impacting Los Feliz residents.\u201d<\/p>\n Sosnick has been a major donor to nonprofit Streets for All, which has been pressing city leaders to redesign streets and sidewalks in ways that separate bikes and buses from cars and trucks, while cutting traffic speeds overall.<\/p>\n In 2024, Sosnick provided $686,000 to Streets for All\u2019s campaign for Measure HLA<\/a>, according to city records. The measure, which passed by a wide margin, requires that the city implement its decade-old plan for adding bike lanes, bus lanes and pedestrian safety measures each time repair crews fix at least one-eighth of a mile of street.<\/p>\n Schneider drew a direct link between the slow progress on Measure HLA construction work and number of traffic deaths<\/a> in L.A., which now outpace homicides<\/a> on an annual basis.<\/p>\n The influx of money from Sosnick puts Raman\u2019s coalition in a strong position during the campaign\u2019s final six weeks. Streets for All\u2019s political action committee is working closely with the Estamos Con Nithya, the campaign set up by the carpenters union, conferring on strategy and holding \u201cregular check-in calls,\u201d Schneider said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re looking at where each other\u2019s gaps are. We\u2019re coordinating,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Sosnick has a history of backing L.A. candidates and ballot proposals. State contribution reports show that he gave $350,000 to the effort to pass Measure M, the countywide half-cent sales tax backed by Mayor Eric Garcetti in 2016, which helped pay for new subway extensions, light rail lines and other large-scale transportation projects.<\/p>\n \u201cHe wants to see L.A. transportation look more like a world-class city and less like a car-centric suburb,\u201d said Joe Linton, editor of Streetsblog, which covers transportation issues and has received funding from Sosnick\u2019s nonprofit group.<\/p>\n The following year, Sosnick sent $100,000 to a committee fighting an attempt to recall<\/a> then-City Councilmember Mike Bonin on the Westside.<\/p>\n