Councilwoman Nithya Raman formally launches her campaign for LA mayor

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Nithya Raman on Sunday formally launched her campaign for mayor, weeks after her surprise decision to enter the race against incumbent and former political ally Karen Bass.

Raman made the announcement during an event at the Van Nuys/Sherman Oaks Recreation Center, where supporters gathered for a campaign kickoff before volunteers headed into nearby neighborhoods for door-to-door outreach.

“I’ve spent the last five years in City Hall, and I’ve tried so hard. My team and I have tried so hard to intervene aggressively on the most urgent issues that this city is facing, our housing and homelessness crisis, building a better safety response, getting our basic services to work for people,” Raman said at the event. “But over and over again, in the building, in City Hall, I found myself running into a wall of reluctance, a reluctance to move forward with the transformative policy change that this city needs right now.”

Raman said that reluctance, in her view, stems from political caution and a fear of angering voters, which she believes is preventing the city from making needed changes. She said Los Angeles has the ability to tackle its biggest challenges.

“I see possibility everywhere and in everyone in this city. I know we can build the housing that we need to make this city affordable, to bring our neighborhoods back to life,” Raman said. “We can build clear, accountable systems for homelessness and public safety, and we can show up for people when they need help in exactly the way that we need, and we can help them.”

Raman said L.A. should reprioritize its budget to repair basic services and defend local communities from federal policies she opposes, adding that the effort will require honesty and hard work.

The councilwoman filed paperwork last month to run for mayor ahead of the June 2 primary election. Her decision to run came amid a shifting field of potential challengers in the days leading up to the filing deadline.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath ended weeks of speculation about a potential run, announcing last month that she would instead focus on her campaign for a second term on the Board of Supervisors.

Two other prominent figures decided against entering the race. Former Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Austin Beutner withdrew from consideration after the sudden death of his 22-year-old daughter, Emily, in January. Beutner said the loss required him to focus on his family rather than the demands of a mayoral campaign.

Billionaire developer Rick Caruso, who lost to Bass in the 2022 mayoral election, also ruled out another run last month after considering the possibility earlier in the year.

Last month, Raman described her relationship with Bass as “strong and close,” built over the last few years. She said she spoke with Bass about her mayoral run but did not provide further details, saying that she “prefers to maintain that privacy right now.”

“I do feel like Angelenos have really given us a lot of faith. Voted for more taxes to address affordable housing issues, to address homelessness, to address some of our biggest crises, and if we don’t show results to them, I think we will lose them,” Raman said after announcing her candidacy.

“We are making decisions about our budget that are based on political calculations, as opposed to what is best for Angelenos and what is best for Los Angeles’ middle class,” Raman added. “I think we can change.”

Bass admitted she didn’t expect a challenge from Raman.

“Well first of all, it was a surprise,” Bass told reporters last month. “We have been great allies, especially on the issue of homelessness. And I will tell you that I will look forward to working with Nithya Raman in my second term.”

Douglas Herman, a campaign advisor for Bass, criticized Raman’s mayoral bid.

“The last thing Los Angeles needs is a politician who opposed cleaning up homeless encampments and efforts to make our city safer,” he said following Raman’s decision. “Mayor Bass will continue changing L.A. by building on her track record delivering L.A.’s first sustained decrease in street homelessness, a 60-year low in homicides, and the most aggressive agenda our city has ever seen to make our city more affordable.”

Speaking at her formal campaign launch event Sunday, Raman reflected on her personal journey and commitment to the city.

“I immigrated to this country, and I moved as an adult to this city, and L.A. has given me and my family everything,” Raman said. “I first ran for office with no political connections, no ties to special interests, no other reason than to give everything I have to this city, to delivering a city that works, bringing as many people into that work as possible. And I want to make another commitment to you today. I give myself to the city once again.”

Other challengers to Bass include Spencer Pratt, a reality television personality and Palisades Fire survivor; and Rae Huang, a community organizer.

Adam Miller, founder and former CEO of workforce education firm Cornerstone OnDemand, announced his bid for mayor last month.

Of the 10 Los Angeles mayors to have sought a second term since the office’s term became four years in 1925, only two have been denied second terms — John C. Porter in 1929 and James Hahn in 2005.

Raman was elected in 2020 and re-elected in 2024 to represent the Fourth Council District, representing communities in the southern portion of the San Fernando Valley and eastern Santa Monica Mountains such as Encino, Sherman Oaks, Studio City and Hollywood Hills, as well as Griffith Park, Los Feliz and Silver Lake.

Raman’s first successful council bid was supported by the Democratic Socialists of America — the same political organization that bolstered Zohran Mamdani, who won his election for mayor of New York City last year.

She chairs the council’s Housing and Homelessness Committee and is part of the council’s more left-leaning bloc alongside colleagues Eunisses Hernandez, Hugo Soto-Martinez and Ysabel Jurado.