LOS ANGELES (AP) \u2014 To voter Roy Lyons, Los Angeles has been losing luster for years. A homeless crisis endures despite billions of dollars of spending. City Hall\u2019s budget keeps swelling \u2014 as do the taxes needed to support it.<\/p>\n
As the retired insurance broker from the Sherman Oaks neighborhood ponders his pick in the upcoming mayoral election, he\u2019s leaning toward the unpopular incumbent, Mayor Karen Bass, over her fellow progressive Democrat Nithya Raman,<\/a> a little-known city council member who is backed by the Democratic Socialists of America<\/a>. She endorsed Bass before changing her mind and entering the race.<\/p>\n Neither choice gives him confidence about the future.<\/p>\n \u201cIs this the best we can do?\u201d asked Lyons, a Democrat, who attended a recent candidate forum. \u201cI don\u2019t think either one shines.\u201d<\/p>\n If Bass wins the Nov. 3 election, it will be because she was able to persuade voters like Lyons to give her a second chance after a rough first term that included the deadly Palisades Fire<\/a>, which ignited when she was out of the country and caught the fire department unprepared.<\/a><\/p>\n Nearly three weeks into mail voting, only 5% of ballots have been returned, according to ballot tracking firm Political Data Inc.<\/p>\n On a recent sunny afternoon as he dropped of his ballot in the Studio City neighborhood, Kim Hansen said his vote for Raman represented what he considered the \u201cleast worst\u201d option.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t like either of them,\u201d said Hansen, a piano player who isn\u2019t registered with a party. \u201cI still wish there was somebody really good to vote for.\u201d<\/p>\n City Hall struggles with the basics<\/p>\n The campaign is unfolding as the city contends with myriad urban ailments. In the latest data released in July, homelessness increased in the city, dealing a setback to Bass. Residents are dealing with climbing rent and housing costs, rising utility bills and buckled streets and sidewalks.<\/p>\n Hollywood jobs have been fleeing<\/a> for years for cheaper filming locales, and the restaurant industry has been shaken by mounting closures. In August, the candidates sparred over their support for street food vendors versus brick-and-mortar restaurants. Meanwhile, the 2028 Olympics are on the horizon, raising questions about the public face the city will present to the world.<\/p>\n At issue is whether voters want to stick with the mayor or pivot to the political left with Raman and follow New York\u2019s lead, where democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani<\/a> was elected mayor.<\/p>\n Bass represents the Democratic establishment<\/a> as she\u2019s backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom,<\/a> former Vice President Kamala Harris and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, along with nearly every member of the city council, including several aligned with the democratic socialists. She served in the state legislature and Congress before becoming mayor in 2022 and was under consideration<\/a> to be former President Joe Biden\u2019s running mate in 2020.<\/p>\n Raman has picked up notable support<\/a> from advocacy and political groups, including Our Revolution, which was founded by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, and the Sierra Club. She’s thin on endorsements from prominent local politicians. She landed a widely publicized private meeting with former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is not involved in the race, that hinted at her efforts to broaden her circle.<\/p>\n One of the unknowns is where supporters of Republican Spencer Pratt \u2014 a former reality personality<\/a> who lost his home in the Palisades Fire and was defeated in the primary \u2014 might turn on Election Day.<\/p>\n A rough term, a mayor imperiled<\/p>\n