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<\/p>\nLos Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman is running for mayor, shaking up the field of candidates one final time.<\/p>\n
Raman said she will challenge Mayor Karen Bass, her onetime ally, campaigning on issues of housing and homelessness, transparency and \u201csafety in our streets.\u201d<\/p>\n
In an interview, Raman called Bass \u201can icon\u201d and someone she deeply admires. But she said the city needs a change agent to address its problems. <\/p>\n
\u201cI have deep respect for Mayor Bass. We\u2019ve worked closely together on my biggest priorities and her biggest priorities, and there\u2019s significant alignment there,\u201d said Raman, who lives in Silver Lake. \u201cBut over the last few months in particular, I\u2019ve really begun to feel like unless we have some big changes in how we do things in Los Angeles, that the things we count on are not going to function anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
Saturday\u2019s announcement \u2014 hours before the noon filing deadline for the June 2 primary election \u2014 capped a chaotic week in L.A. politics, with candidates and would-be candidates dropping in and out of the race to challenge Bass, who is seeking a second four-year term.<\/p>\n
Raman would immediately pose a formidable challenge to Bass. She was the first council member to be elected with support from the Democratic Socialists of America, which scored an enormous victory last fall with the election of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Councilmember Nithya Raman jumps in the race for mayor, challenging former ally Karen Bass in the June primary.<\/p>\n
(Christina House \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n
At the same time, Raman has deep ties to leaders in the YIMBY movement, who have pushed for the city to boost housing production by upzoning single-family neighborhoods and rewriting Measure ULA, the so-called mansion tax, which applies to property sales of $5.3 million or more. <\/p>\n
Raman\u2019s eleventh-hour announcement caps what has been the most turbulent candidate filing period for an L.A. mayoral election in at least a generation. She launched her bid less than a day after another political heavyweight, L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, decided against a run.<\/p>\n
Until Raman\u2019s surprise entry, the field had seemed to be clear of big-name challengers. Former L.A. schools superintendent Austin Beutner ended his campaign on Thursday, citing the death of his 22-year-old daughter. That same day, real estate developer Rick Caruso reaffirmed his decision not to run.<\/p>\n
Bass campaign spokesperson Douglas Herman did not immediately provide comment.<\/p>\n
Raman\u2019s announcement comes as Bass continues to face sharp criticism over the city\u2019s handling of the Palisades fire, which killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes. Unlike some of the candidates, Raman has not publicly criticized Bass about the city\u2019s preparation for, or response to, the disaster. <\/p>\n
Bass, 72, faces more than two dozen opponents from across the political spectrum.<\/p>\n
Reality TV star Spencer Pratt, a Republican, has received praise from an array of Trump supporters<\/a>, including Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, of Florida. Pratt has focused heavily on the city\u2019s handling of the fire, which destroyed his home.<\/p>\n Spencer Pratt poses for a portrait in Pacific Palisades.<\/p>\n (Eric Thayer \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n Democratic socialist Rae Huang is running against the mayor<\/a> from her political left. Huang has called for more public housing and for a reduction in the number of police officers, with the cost savings poured into other city services.<\/p>\n Brentwood tech entrepreneur Adam Miller,<\/a> who has described himself as a lifelong Democrat, said the city is on a downward trajectory and needs stronger management. The 56-year-old nonprofit executive plans to tap his personal wealth to jump-start his campaign.<\/p>\n Also in the race is Asaad Alnajjar, an employee of the Bureau of Street Lighting who sits on the Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council. Alnajjar has already lent his campaign $80,000.<\/p>\n At City Hall, Raman\u2019s entrance into the mayor\u2019s race is a bombshell, particularly given her relationship with Bass.<\/p>\n Mayor Karen Bass addresses the crowd at the Shine LA event at Hansen Dam Recreation Area in Lake View Terrace, Calif., on Saturday. <\/p>\n (Myung J. Chun \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n In December 2022, not long after taking office, Bass launched her Inside Safe program, which moves homeless people indoors, in Raman\u2019s district.<\/p>\n Two years later, while running for reelection, Raman prominently featured Bass<\/a> on at least a dozen of her campaign mailers<\/a> and door hangers<\/a>. Raman\u2019s campaign produced a video ad<\/a> that heavily excerpted Bass\u2019 remarks endorsing her at a Sherman Oaks get-out-the-vote rally. <\/p>\n Raman, whose district stretches from Silver Lake to Reseda, ultimately won reelection with 50.7% of the vote. In the years that followed, she continued to praise Bass\u2019 leadership. <\/p>\n![\"Spencer](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1770497229_69_.jpeg\")
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