City Council member Nithya Raman defeats Los Angeles mayor — The Guardian
In Los Angeles, United States, City Council member Nithya Raman defeated incumbent mayor Karen Bass in a close race for the leadership of the country’s second-most populous city. As The Guardian reports, Raman became the first candidate backed by the Democratic Socialists of America to be elected to office in Los Angeles.
Path to City Hall
Raman is an urban planner and political outsider. She entered politics in 2020, when she won a seat on the Los Angeles City Council, defeating an incumbent Democratic Party council member. It was the first time in 17 years that an incumbent City Council member had lost an election. Her campaign was supported by Bernie Sanders at the time.
During the 2020 campaign, Raman attributed her success to the work of volunteers: according to her, the team knocked on 80,000 doors and had 2,000 volunteers by the general election. In 2024, she was re-elected to the City Council by a wide margin.
Housing and Homelessness
The main issues in Raman’s politics are housing affordability, homelessness, and tenants’ rights. She joined the local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America in 2019 because, according to her, it was one of the few organizations meaningfully addressing the issue of housing costs in the city.
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Her campaign platform calls for tripling housing construction, from affordable and market-rate housing to social housing and shelters. In 2017, Raman also became one of five co-founders of the SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition, a volunteer organization providing assistance and advocacy for homeless people in northeastern Los Angeles.
Differences with Allies
Despite her affiliation with the democratic socialists, Raman did not have broad support among her colleagues on the City Council: three other council members who were also elected with the movement’s support backed Bass in the election. The local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America did not endorse Raman in the primary, but endorsed her candidacy after she advanced to the runoff.
At the same time, the organization pointed to differences with Raman, including over her position on Palestine and the support she received in 2024 from a pro-Israel Democratic club. At the national level, the Democratic Socialists of America also considered withdrawing its support for Raman because of her position on Israel, but the relevant committee voted against the decision, by 14 votes to 13.
Raman emphasizes political independence and a willingness to disagree with allies. In particular, she advocated reforming the tax on expensive mansions in Los Angeles, although she called such a position extremely unpopular. She also stated that she supports the Scandinavian model of social democracy with a regulated market economy.
