# Nithya Raman *candidate · Mayor of Los Angeles* — November 3, 2026 General Election (2026-11-03), Los Angeles County, California Research pack generated 2026-10-30T23:52:30+00:00 by ballotscope. Summaries are LLM-generated from the linked originals and may contain errors; check the originals before relying on anything. Sources span 2020-02-16 to 2026-10-14. ## Overview (as of 2026-10-28, from 20 sources) Nithya Raman, an urban planner first elected to the City Council in 2020 representing District 4, entered the mayor's race hours before the February 2026 filing deadline and finished second in the June primary, advancing to the November 3 runoff against Mayor Karen Bass [Nithya Raman says she's running for LA mayor after growing frustrated with how city works; LA mayor primary voter guide; Nithya Raman and the LA mayor race; Nithya Raman launches LA mayoral runoff campaign with sharp attack on Mayor Karen Bass]. She chaired the Housing and Homelessness Committee from 2023 until she was removed in August 2026 by Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, a Bass ally [Nithya Raman removed as housing and homelessness committee chair]. Her council record cited by the sources includes 2023 tenant-protection expansions and the Rent Stabilization Ordinance update, a 'no' vote on the April 14, 2026 Rose Avenue 41.18 anti-camping zone (passed 11-4), a 'no' vote on the Convention Center expansion, a call to exempt new multifamily construction from Measure ULA, and a yes vote on Bass's 2023-24 budget that funded Inside Safe [Raman homelessness platform: Inside Safe, LAHSA, oversight; Mayoral hopeful Nithya Raman votes no on Venice anti-camping crackdown; Nithya Raman talks to LAist about why she should be LA's next mayor (Transcript); Nithya Raman and the LA mayor race]. In 2026 she proposes a permitting 'shot clock' to triple housing construction, performance-based homelessness spending with a public dashboard, a scaled-back Inside Safe, preparation to move contracts from LAHSA, and a new LAPD chief [Housing for all; Raman homelessness platform: Inside Safe, LAHSA, oversight; Nithya Raman talks to LAist about why she should be LA's next mayor (Transcript); LA mayor primary voter guide; 3 takeaways from Bass and Raman's live televised mayoral debate]. Her earlier platform called for repealing anti-camping laws and removing LAPD from encampment cleanups, while her 2026 platform calls for maintaining encampment-resolution capacity [Who belongs in LA? (housing and homelessness platform); Raman homelessness platform: Inside Safe, LAHSA, oversight]. As of the October 13, 2026 debate, she called Bass 'MIA' and the fire responses a failure of leadership [3 takeaways from Bass and Raman's live televised mayoral debate; Bass, Raman clash over homelessness, public safety and leadership in LA mayoral debate]; the Bass campaign, the police union and some council colleagues call her plans unrealistic or her record inconsistent [Raman homelessness platform: Inside Safe, LAHSA, oversight; Mayoral hopeful Nithya Raman votes no on Venice anti-camping crackdown; Nithya Raman and the LA mayor race]. At the September 29 Jewish Federation forum she defended describing Israel's actions in Gaza as genocide [Bass, Raman at Jewish mayoral forum; Bass and Raman differ over Gaza at Jewish Federation forum]. ### Record highlights - 2020: elected to City Council District 4, unseating incumbent David Ryu, the first incumbent ousted in 17 years. [LA mayor primary voter guide; Nithya Raman and the LA mayor race] - 2023: as committee chair, helped pass expanded just-cause eviction protections and led the update of the Rent Stabilization Ordinance; her campaign says allowable increases fell from 3-8% to 1-4% annually. [Protecting renters; Nithya Raman and the LA mayor race; Nithya Raman removed as housing and homelessness committee chair] - Voted with the council 13-1 for Bass's 2023-24 budget, which included $250 million for Inside Safe. [Raman homelessness platform: Inside Safe, LAHSA, oversight] - Says she voted against the contracts, including the 2023 LAPD contract, that she says drove the city's billion-dollar deficit. [LA mayor primary voter guide; Nithya Raman says voters can 'pick a different path forward'] - Was one of two councilmembers to vote against the $2.6 billion Los Angeles Convention Center expansion. [Nithya Raman and the LA mayor race] - April 14, 2026: pulled and voted against designating 220 Rose Avenue in Venice as a LAMC 41.18 no-camping zone, which passed 11-4. [Mayoral hopeful Nithya Raman votes no on Venice anti-camping crackdown] - Pushed to exempt new multifamily construction from Measure ULA; a January 27, 2026 council motion to amend ULA (CF 26-0088) drew a procedural objection from the ULA Citizen Oversight Committee. [Council File 26-0088 (Measure ULA motion) document; Nithya Raman talks to LAist about why she should be LA's next mayor (Transcript); Nithya Raman and the LA mayor race] - August 2026: removed as chair of the Housing and Homelessness Committee when the council president split it into two committees. [Nithya Raman removed as housing and homelessness committee chair] - Unsheltered homelessness in District 4 fell from 181 in 2025 to 93 in 2026, about 49%, while it rose 7.9% citywide; Raman and the Bass campaign dispute credit. [Nithya Raman removed as housing and homelessness committee chair; Fact check: LA mayor debate Karen Bass and Nithya Raman] ### Stated positions - Housing: triple annual construction through a 60-day/120-day permitting shot clock, by-right rezoning near transit, multiplexes near transit in single-family areas, limits on appeals and a single affordable-housing funding window. [Housing for all; Nithya Raman talks to LAist about why she should be LA's next mayor (Transcript)] - Homelessness: tie every dollar to measurable results with a public dashboard, end underperforming contracts, shift from motel rooms to time-limited rental subsidies, maintain encampment-resolution capacity, and fund Medi-Cal-reimbursed street medicine teams (April-May 2026). [Raman homelessness platform: Inside Safe, LAHSA, oversight; Nithya Raman talks to LAist about why she should be LA's next mayor (Transcript); LA mayor primary voter guide] - LAHSA: build city capacity to move contracts away from LAHSA, potentially contracting directly with the county. [Raman homelessness platform: Inside Safe, LAHSA, oversight] - Renters: create an Office of Tenant Protections and an Office of Home-Sharing, seek Ellis Act reform, and restrict private-equity purchases of single-family homes. [Protecting renters] - Policing: replace LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, without a stated timeline relative to the Olympics; maintain LAPD staffing; skeptical of license-plate readers and wants proof data are not shared with ICE. [Nithya Raman talks to LAist about why she should be LA's next mayor (Transcript); Nithya Raman and the LA mayor race; Nithya Raman launches LA mayoral runoff campaign with sharp attack on Mayor Karen Bass; 3 takeaways from Bass and Raman's live televised mayoral debate] - Immigration: as author of the city's sanctuary ordinance, oppose federal actions targeting immigrants while engaging the administration where necessary. [LA mayor primary voter guide] - LADWP: audit the utility and require it to justify rates publicly before the Council. [Ending homelessness (campaign issues)] - Olympics: says cost-overrun risk is real and seeks enforceable caps on city liability. [LA mayor primary voter guide] - Gaza: defended using 'genocide' for Israel's actions and called BDS 'a legitimate form of peaceful protest' (September 29, 2026). [Bass, Raman at Jewish mayoral forum; Bass and Raman differ over Gaza at Jewish Federation forum] ### Where sources disagree - Credit for District 4's homelessness decline: Raman cites her district's tools and work, while the Bass campaign attributes it to Inside Safe; Raman says there were only three Inside Safe operations in her district. [Nithya Raman removed as housing and homelessness committee chair; 3 takeaways from Bass and Raman's live televised mayoral debate; Fact check: LA mayor debate Karen Bass and Nithya Raman] - Size of her district results: she cites a 54% cut in encampments (questionnaire) and a nearly 50% drop in street homelessness; NBC's LAHSA figures show unsheltered counts falling from 181 to 93 (about 49%). [LA mayor primary voter guide; Nithya Raman removed as housing and homelessness committee chair; Fact check: LA mayor debate Karen Bass and Nithya Raman] - Cost of Inside Safe: Raman cites over $80,000 to $85,000 per motel room a year; LAist cites CAO data of more than $225 a night per bed versus about $86 for other interim housing. [Raman homelessness platform: Inside Safe, LAHSA, oversight; Nithya Raman talks to LAist about why she should be LA's next mayor (Transcript)] - Whether LAPD shares data with ICE: in April 2026 Raman said she did not think LAPD was collaborating with ICE, while in the October debate she said LAPD was reportedly sharing data; NBC said documented concerns center on private vendors such as Flock. [Nithya Raman talks to LAist about why she should be LA's next mayor (Transcript); Fact check: LA mayor debate Karen Bass and Nithya Raman] ### Gaps - No official council roll-call records were collected; votes are described through news reports. - No full transcript of the October 13, 2026 debate or the September 29 forum. - No editorial-board or advocacy-group analysis explicitly opposing her; criticism appears only as quotes within news stories. - No campaign-finance records were collected. - Her campaign platform pages are undated, and the 2020 Jacobin interview is paywalled, so her earlier positions rest mainly on an undated platform page and LAist's description. - The Measure ULA council motion itself and its author are not in the collected record; only the oversight committee's response is. ### Arguments for / praise - She delivered for her district: tenant protections, a nearly 50% drop in street homelessness in one year, and a homelessness-oversight bureau. — *Nithya Raman* [LA mayor primary voter guide; Nithya Raman removed as housing and homelessness committee chair] - She helped shift city policy from criminalizing homelessness toward housing and shelter. — *Mike Bonin, former councilmember* [Nithya Raman and the LA mayor race] - She is willing to take tough votes and break with allies, as on Measure ULA and the Convention Center expansion. — *Rob Quan (Unrig LA), Nithya Raman* [Nithya Raman talks to LAist about why she should be LA's next mayor (Transcript); Nithya Raman and the LA mayor race] - Lower-cost interventions such as time-limited subsidies could house two or three households for the cost of one Inside Safe motel room. — *Nithya Raman* [Raman homelessness platform: Inside Safe, LAHSA, oversight; Nithya Raman talks to LAist about why she should be LA's next mayor (Transcript)] - She designated fewer 41.18 enforcement zones than other members, resulting in fewer arrests. — *Kathryn Leifheit, public health researcher* [Nithya Raman and the LA mayor race] ### Arguments against / criticism - Her homelessness plan relies on private landlords turning over apartments and would increase homelessness; she voted for the Inside Safe funding she now criticizes and takes credit for its results in her district. — *Alex Stack, Bass campaign* [Raman homelessness platform: Inside Safe, LAHSA, oversight; Nithya Raman removed as housing and homelessness committee chair] - She has extreme views, cannot build relationships with colleagues, and changing the police chief before the Olympics would destabilize the LAPD. — *Karen Bass* [3 takeaways from Bass and Raman's live televised mayoral debate; Bass, Raman clash over homelessness, public safety and leadership in LA mayoral debate] - Her votes on 41.18 are inconsistent and appear driven by election cycles and ideology. — *Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez* [Mayoral hopeful Nithya Raman votes no on Venice anti-camping crackdown] - Her public-safety positions are inconsistent; the police union calls her votes against sweeps dangerous. — *Los Angeles Police Protective League (Tom Saggu)* [Nithya Raman and the LA mayor race] - From the left, she is an incremental reformer, not a true progressive; her ULA changes angered groups that passed the tax. — *Rae Huang, LA Public Press* [Nithya Raman and the LA mayor race] - Most council colleagues, including progressives, endorsed Bass, raising questions about whether she could pass her agenda. — *FOX 11 Los Angeles* [Nithya Raman launches LA mayoral runoff campaign with sharp attack on Mayor Karen Bass] ## Analysis of their own words (as of 2026-10-28) Coverage: Thirteen samples. Dated samples run from February 11 to October 14, 2026: one full edited interview transcript (S7, LAist AirTalk, April 20, 2026); two interview write-ups with extended quotes (S5, S8, ABC7); excerpts of her LAist questionnaire answers (S6); and four news accounts of the October 13, 2026 televised debate and the September 29, 2026 Jewish Federation forum (S1-S4), which supply short reported quotes. Four campaign platform pages are undated (S10-S13). S10's content describes her district under prior council leadership and reads as her earlier council-campaign platform; S11-S13 are her current mayoral platform. S9, a February 2020 Jacobin interview, contains only the publication's introduction (the interview is paywalled), so it provides none of her words. Missing: full debate or forum transcripts, council floor remarks, op-eds she wrote, and dated samples from her 2020-2025 council years other than S10. On tenants, immigration and Israel-Gaza, Raman takes positions on the left of the city's politics: she cites authoring the city's sanctuary ordinance (S6), promotes renter protections and new tenant-enforcement offices (S13), describes Israel's actions in Gaza as genocide and calls BDS a legitimate form of protest (S3, S4); LAist reports she is a DSA member (S3). On housing supply she takes a pro-construction, deregulatory stance: a permitting 'shot clock', by-right rezoning near transit, high-rise zones, limits on appeals and opposition to Measure ULA's effect on new multifamily construction (S7, S11). On fiscal matters she criticizes labor contracts she says caused a billion-dollar deficit (S5, S7). On homelessness her 2026 statements support encampment resolution and enforcement of camping rules paired with shelter and services (S7), a shift from the earlier platform in S10. A 'progressive' label is supported by her positions on tenants, immigration and Israel; on housing production and city finances her positions do not fit a single left-right label. Articulation: **adequate**. Prepared texts (S11, S13, S12) are detailed and specific, with numeric targets (a 60- and 120-day permitting shot clock), named mechanisms (a 'Super NOFA', a single-inspector model, an Office of Home-Sharing) and stated rationales, though their statistics are unsourced. In unscripted speech (S7) she answers directly and with figures, for example the over-$80,000 motel cost, about 8,000 shelter beds, and only about 4% of shelter residents receiving county mental-health services; she also concedes points, saying her own budget 'may not be significantly different.' Weaknesses: on whether she would replace the police chief before the Olympics she gave no timeline in the debate (S1, S2), and some answers turn to criticism of the mayor rather than her own plan. Debate and forum samples are brief reported excerpts, too thin to judge her live debating. Consistency: **adequate**. Across the dated 2026 samples (February to October) her positions are stable: accountability and metrics for homelessness spending, support for encampment resolution with a smaller and cheaper Inside Safe, pro-construction housing policy, and opposition to federal immigration enforcement. The main change is on homelessness enforcement relative to the undated earlier platform (S10), which called for removing laws including LAMC 41.18 and taking LAPD out of encampment cleanups; in 2026 she says some camping rules 'are important for us to be able to enforce' and supports encampment resolution (S7). She did not explicitly explain this change in the samples, though in S7 she says she conducted encampment resolution in her district before Bass took office. Her tone toward Bass also changed between her February entry (ABC7 reports she expressed 'deep admiration', S8) and the October debate, where she said the city has had 'a mayor who has been MIA' (S1); this is a change in assessment rather than in policy. Her district-results figure is given as a 54% cut in encampments (S6) and, elsewhere in the sources, as a nearly 50% drop in street homelessness; these may measure different things. - Homelessness: accountability and cost: Tie homelessness spending to measured results with a public dashboard, end underperforming contracts, and shift money from expensive motel-based Inside Safe rooms toward lower-cost rental subsidies. - "every dollar spent is tied to measurable results" [LA mayor primary voter guide] (2026-05-04) - "Right now, the average motel room in the Inside Safe Program costs over $80,000 a year" [Nithya Raman talks to LAist about why she should be LA's next mayor (Transcript)] (2026-04-22) - "We don't have real oversight over the hundreds of millions of dollars that this city is spending on homelessness every single year" [Nithya Raman says voters can 'pick a different path forward'] (2026-05-13) - Homelessness: encampment resolution and enforcement: Supports encampment resolution and enforcing some camping rules, combined with shelter and services; supports conservatorship for a small number of very sick people. - "I really believe in encampment resolution." [Nithya Raman talks to LAist about why she should be LA's next mayor (Transcript)] (2026-04-22) - "You have to combine regulation with shelter and services in order to actually reduce homelessness on the ground." [Nithya Raman talks to LAist about why she should be LA's next mayor (Transcript)] (2026-04-22) - "It's a small number, and it is a long pathway, but I do think it's an important pathway" [Nithya Raman talks to LAist about why she should be LA's next mayor (Transcript)] (2026-04-22) - Housing production: Triple housing construction by setting permitting deadlines, rezoning near transit, allowing small multiplexes in single-family areas near transit, and reducing appeals. - "This crisis is almost entirely self-made." [Housing for all] (undated) - "60 days or less to approve zoning-compliant projects, 120 days or less for discretionary ones" [Housing for all] (undated) - "Our plan will triple annual housing construction" [Housing for all] (undated) - Renters and rent stabilization: Supports rent stabilization and stronger enforcement of tenant protections, while exempting new construction from any expansion. - "I think we have to make sure that any kind of expansion of rent stabilization or rent control doesn't impact new construction." [Nithya Raman talks to LAist about why she should be LA's next mayor (Transcript)] (2026-04-22) - "Launch an Office of Tenant Protections" [Protecting renters] (undated) - Measure ULA: Still supports the transfer tax as revenue but wants new multifamily construction exempted. - "We need to exempt new multifamily construction." [Nithya Raman talks to LAist about why she should be LA's next mayor (Transcript)] (2026-04-22) - City finances and labor contracts: Attributes the billion-dollar deficit to contracts the city could not afford, including the 2023 LAPD contract, and says she would be more candid about the budget. - "Last year's budget had a billion dollar budget deficit that was, in many ways, self-created through contracts the city couldn't afford" [Nithya Raman talks to LAist about why she should be LA's next mayor (Transcript)] (2026-04-22) - "gave the police union more money than the city even had" [Nithya Raman says voters can 'pick a different path forward'] (2026-05-13) - Policing and the LAPD chief: Wants a new chief who will reduce liabilities and distance LAPD from ICE; did not commit to a timeline relative to the 2028 Olympics (reported). - "I think the next LAPD chief has to have courage." [Nithya Raman talks to LAist about why she should be LA's next mayor (Transcript)] (2026-04-22) - "there is no decision that I will take as your mayor that will put you in danger" [3 takeaways from Bass and Raman's live televised mayoral debate] (2026-10-13) - Federal immigration enforcement: Opposes federal enforcement actions targeting immigrants and cites the sanctuary ordinance she authored; would engage the administration where necessary. - "I have built the legal foundation that prohibits city resources, personnel and data from being used for federal immigration enforcement." [LA mayor primary voter guide] (2026-05-04) - Israel and Gaza: Defends describing Israel's actions in Gaza as genocide and calls BDS legitimate protest, while saying the city must be safe for Jewish residents. - "I used it because other experts have used it" [Bass and Raman differ over Gaza at Jewish Federation forum] (2026-09-30) - "a legitimate form of peaceful protest" [Bass and Raman differ over Gaza at Jewish Federation forum] (2026-09-30) - "where you can be visibly Jewish and not feel unsafe" [Bass, Raman at Jewish mayoral forum] (2026-09-29) - 2028 Olympics finances: Calls cost-overrun risk real and wants enforceable caps on city liability. - "The risk of cost overruns is real." [LA mayor primary voter guide] (2026-05-04) - LADWP rates: Audit LADWP and require it to justify rates publicly before the Council. - "Require DWP to justify their rates in front of City Council and the public." [Ending homelessness (campaign issues)] (undated) Limitations: Four samples are news accounts quoting her briefly; S9 contains none of her words. Four platform pages are undated, so S10's earlier positions cannot be precisely dated. No council floor remarks, op-eds or full debate transcripts were available, and her council votes are evaluated elsewhere as records. Statistics in her statements are not verified here. ## Timeline (newest first) - **2026-10-14** — Published: Fact check: LA mayor debate Karen Bass and Nithya Raman (NBC Los Angeles) - **2026-10-14** — Published: Bass, Raman clash over homelessness, public safety and leadership in LA mayoral debate (ABC7 Los Angeles) - **2026-10-14** — Published: 3 takeaways from Bass and Raman's live televised mayoral debate (LAist) - **2026-10-13** — Bass and Raman debate on NBC4 and Telemundo 52 (NBC Los Angeles) - **2026-10-13** — NBC4/Telemundo 52 mayoral debate (ABC7 Los Angeles) - **2026-10-13** — Live televised mayoral debate, NBC4/Telemundo 52 (LAist) - **2026-09-30** — Published: Bass and Raman differ over Gaza at Jewish Federation forum (LAist) - **2026-09-29** — Jewish Federation mayoral forum at the Skirball Cultural Center (LAist) - **2026-09-29** — Published: Bass, Raman at Jewish mayoral forum (NBC Los Angeles) - **2026-09-29** — Jewish Federation mayoral forum (NBC Los Angeles) - **2026-08-10** — Published: Nithya Raman removed as housing and homelessness committee chair (Spectrum News 1) - **2026-08-10** — Reports that Raman would be removed as Housing and Homelessness Committee chair (Spectrum News 1) - **2026-07** — 2026 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count released (Spectrum News 1) - **2026-06-11** — Published: Nithya Raman launches LA mayoral runoff campaign with sharp attack on Mayor Karen Bass (FOX 11 Los Angeles) - **2026-06-10** — Raman's first runoff press conference (FOX 11 Los Angeles) - **2026-06-02** — Primary election (FOX 11 Los Angeles) - **2026-05-28** — Published: Nithya Raman and the LA mayor race (LA Public Press) - **2026-05-18** — Councilmembers Jurado and Hernandez endorsed Bass; Raman campaigned on Olvera Street (LA Public Press) - **2026-05-13** — Published: Nithya Raman says voters can 'pick a different path forward' (ABC7 Los Angeles) - **2026-05-04** — Published: LA mayor primary voter guide (LAist) - **2026-04-22** — Published: Nithya Raman talks to LAist about why she should be LA's next mayor (Transcript) (LAist) - **2026-04-20** — Raman interviewed by Larry Mantle at LMU (LAist) - **2026-04-16** — Published: Mayoral hopeful Nithya Raman votes no on Venice anti-camping crackdown (Westside Current) - **2026-04-14** — Council voted 11-4 to make 220 Rose Avenue a 41.18 zone; Raman voted no (Westside Current) - **2026-04-08** — Published: Raman homelessness platform: Inside Safe, LAHSA, oversight (LAist) - **2026-04-07** — Raman unveiled her homelessness platform (LAist) - **2026-03-25** — Raman released her first housing policies at Barnsdall Art Park (LA Public Press) - **2026-02-13** — Published: Council File 26-0088 (Measure ULA motion) document (Los Angeles City Clerk) - **2026-02-11** — Published: Nithya Raman says she's running for LA mayor after growing frustrated with how city works (ABC7 Los Angeles) - **2026-02-06** — COC letter to City Council (Los Angeles City Clerk) - **2026-02** — Raman entered the mayor's race hours before the filing deadline (ABC7 Los Angeles) - **2026-01-28** — ULA Citizen Oversight Committee voted 8-0 to respond (Los Angeles City Clerk) - **2026-01-27** — Council motion to amend Measure ULA filed (CF 26-0088) (Los Angeles City Clerk) - **2024** — Raman co-authored a council ceasefire resolution (NBC Los Angeles) - **2023** — Council expanded just-cause eviction protections (LA Public Press) - **2023** — LAPD contract approved, which Raman says drove the deficit (ABC7 Los Angeles) - **2021-08** — Start of period for TAHO complaint data cited (Nithya Raman campaign) - **2021** — CD4 redistricted (LA Public Press) - **2020-03-03** — CD4 primary election (Jacobin) - **2020-02-16** — Published: The System That We Have to Respond to Homelessness Is Not One That Was Designed to Help People (Jacobin) - **2020** — Raman's council-campaign platform called for ending criminalization of homelessness (LAist) - **2020** — Raman elected to City Council, ousting an incumbent (LAist) - **2016** — Last LADWP rate ordinance adopted, per the campaign (Nithya Raman campaign) ## Sources ### Fact check: LA mayor debate Karen Bass and Nithya Raman - NBC Los Angeles · news · published 2026-10-14 · stance: neutral - NBC Los Angeles fact-checks claims from the October 13, 2026 NBC4/Telemundo 52 debate. For Councilmember Nithya Raman, it examines her claim of a nearly 50% drop in unsheltered homelessness in her Council District 4, her criticism of Inside Safe's cost, and her assertion that the LAPD has reportedly shared data with ICE. - Raman cited a nearly 50% decline in unsheltered homelessness in CD4; LAHSA data show 181 (2025) to 93 (2026), about 49%. - NBC notes the citywide trend went the other way in 2026 (total +3.4%, unsheltered +7.9%) and that district comparisons need consistent figures; CD1 had 777 unsheltered in 2025 and 989 in 2026. - Raman's criticism of Inside Safe's cost: NBC cites more than $300 million total (LA Times) and $131.9 million projected for FY 2025-26. - On Raman's claim that LAPD was 'reportedly sharing data with ICE', NBC says state law generally restricts sharing license-plate-reader data for immigration enforcement, but concerns exist about private vendors such as Flock; the ACLU has accused Flock of allowing federal access. - Reference: LA Times: 40% returned to street under Inside Safe - Reference: CAO report on Inside Safe expenditures (CF 23-1022-S29) - Reference: ACLU on Flock Safety ### Bass, Raman clash over homelessness, public safety and leadership in LA mayoral debate - ABC7 Los Angeles · debate · published 2026-10-14 · stance: neutral - ABC7 report on the October 13, 2026 NBC4/Telemundo 52 debate, with direct quotes from Councilmember Nithya Raman on the city's direction, Inside Safe, her committee role, a campaign video calling officials 'fascist liars', emergency leadership and the LAPD chief. - Raman opened by arguing homelessness is rising despite heavy spending, storefronts are closing, and the mayor has been 'MIA'. - Raman said colleagues made her chair of a powerful committee before she pushed back against a failing system, and accused Bass of personal insults. - Asked about a supporter's video her campaign took down that called LAPD, Chief McDonnell and Bass 'fascist liars', Raman called it an error and said she would never imply they are fascist. - Raman promised to be 'on the front lines' in the next emergency. - ABC7 says Raman did not give a clear answer on whether she would fire Chief McDonnell before the 2028 Olympics. ### 3 takeaways from Bass and Raman's live televised mayoral debate - LAist · debate · published 2026-10-14 · stance: neutral - LAist's three takeaways from the October 13, 2026 hour-long televised debate, covering homelessness, policing and emergency response, with quotes from Councilmember Raman. - Raman criticized Inside Safe as expensive, unaccountable, unaudited and unchanged since launch. - Raman said every homelessness dollar should be monitored and every service's performance tracked. - Raman confirmed she wants to replace LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, saying he lost Angelenos' trust especially over the response to federal immigration raids, but gave no timeline relative to the 2028 Olympics. - Raman said she is 'very skeptical' of mass surveillance technologies such as license-plate readers and wants proof data would not be shared with ICE. - Raman called the Palisades Fire and Lineage warehouse fire responses a 'failure' of leadership and promised resources, evacuation support and multilingual information. - Reference: LA Times: street homelessness in Raman's district - Reference: LAist Voter Game Plan: LA mayor - Reference: LAist: Lineage warehouse fire investigation ### Bass and Raman differ over Gaza at Jewish Federation forum - LAist · debate · published 2026-09-30 · stance: neutral - LAist report on the September 29, 2026 Jewish Federation of Los Angeles mayoral forum, where Raman defended her use of 'genocide' to describe Israel's actions in Gaza, called BDS a legitimate form of peaceful protest, and discussed appearing with streamer Hasan Piker. - Raman said she used the term genocide because other experts had used it and because of images of hospitals targeted and children killed. - Raman called BDS 'a legitimate form of peaceful protest', drawing boos from some attendees, and said she supports the right to protest whether or not she agrees with protesters. - Raman said she disagreed with some of Hasan Piker's views but that officials should speak to audiences they disagree with. - Raman said she has criticized antisemitism and was the first LA elected official to denounce the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. - LAist notes Raman is a DSA member and DSA supports boycott and divestment of Israel. ### Bass, Raman at Jewish mayoral forum - NBC Los Angeles · debate · published 2026-09-29 · stance: neutral - City News Service report (on NBC Los Angeles) on the September 29, 2026 Jewish Federation mayoral forum, focused on Raman defending her interview with Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, in which she said she believes Israel committed genocide, and her views on antisemitism and safety. - In the Piker interview Raman said 'I do, yes' when asked if Israel committed genocide, and also said Israel has a right to exist. - Raman co-authored a 2024 council resolution calling for a ceasefire that never came to a vote. - Raman said she is running to be mayor of the city and that LA must be a place where people can be 'visibly Jewish and not feel unsafe.' - Raman said she never wants progressive politics conflated with antisemitism. - Raman said she would evaluate appearances on controversial platforms case by case, apply the same principles to any host, and hoped to 'do a better job of that in the future.' ### Nithya Raman removed as housing and homelessness committee chair - Spectrum News 1 · news · published 2026-08-10 · stance: neutral - Spectrum News 1 (City News Service) report that Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, a Bass ally, planned to split the Housing and Homelessness Committee and remove Raman as chair, with Raman's statement and the Bass campaign's response. - Raman has chaired the committee since 2023; the committee would be split into separate housing and homelessness committees, neither led by her (per LA Times sources). - Raman's statement credits her tenure with Just Cause eviction protections, lower rent-stabilized increases and a homelessness-spending oversight office. - Raman said her district cut street homelessness 'by nearly 50% in one year' and called homelessness 'not an unsolveable problem. It's a mismanaged one.' - The 2026 count showed citywide homelessness up 3.4% to 45,194, the first increase after two years of declines. - The Bass campaign said Raman takes credit for Inside Safe results while campaigning against it; Raman told the Times there were only three Inside Safe operations in her district. ### Nithya Raman launches LA mayoral runoff campaign with sharp attack on Mayor Karen Bass - FOX 11 Los Angeles · news · published 2026-06-11 · stance: neutral - FOX 11 report on Raman's first runoff press conference after finishing second in the June 2026 primary, where she criticized Bass, appealed to Spencer Pratt's voters, and outlined pledges on film jobs, LAPD staffing and homelessness. - Raman argued two-thirds of primary voters voted against the incumbent and questioned whether the party system picks the right leaders. - She said Pratt 'tapped into very real frustrations' about a city failing at basic functions. - She pledged film and TV tax credits, maintaining LAPD staffing levels, and ending street homelessness (per FOX 11). - She acknowledged her DSA alignment and pointed skeptics to her council record. - FOX 11 notes most of her council colleagues, including progressives, endorsed Bass. - Reference: AP projects Bass-Raman runoff ### Nithya Raman and the LA mayor race - LA Public Press · news · published 2026-05-28 · stance: neutral - LA Public Press profile of Raman's campaign before the June primary, reviewing her record on tenant protections, homelessness enforcement, Measure ULA and policing, with views from supporters, critics, the police union and analysts. - UCLA's Zev Yaroslavsky says Raman struggles to depict an authentic evolution and must balance change messaging with moderating positions. - As housing chair Raman helped pass 2023 just-cause eviction expansions and led the update of the Rent Stabilization Ordinance. - Former councilmember Mike Bonin says Raman helped shift the city from criminalization toward housing and shelter. - Researcher Kathryn Leifheit says Raman designated fewer 41.18 zones than other members; her district ranked eighth in sweeps, about two arrests per 100 unhoused people; Raman said 'We do clean ups in our district.' - Raman broke with progressives by seeking to exempt certain multifamily developers from Measure ULA, angering some supporters. - The Police Protective League, which endorsed Bass, called her public-safety position inconsistent; she now says LAPD's size must be maintained. - Raman was one of two members to vote against the $2.6 billion Convention Center expansion over concerns about service funding; DSA-LA recommended but did not endorse her. - Reference: CD4 release on Rent Stabilization Ordinance update - Reference: LAist: council vote on Westside anti-camping - Reference: LA Public Press sweeps analysis - Reference: LA Times: 2023 tenant protections vote - Reference: LA Times: Bass-Raman debate ### Nithya Raman says voters can 'pick a different path forward' - ABC7 Los Angeles · interview · published 2026-05-13 · stance: neutral - ABC7 interview with Raman before the June primary, covering her case for a 'different path', the 2023 LAPD contract and budget deficit, responsibility for homelessness as committee chair, Inside Safe's cost, and Spencer Pratt. - Raman said voters need not pick 'our broken status quo' or 'a MAGA Republican.' - She said the 2023 LAPD contract the mayor signed gave the union more than the city had, causing the billion-dollar deficit, fewer officers and longer 911 times. - Asked about her own responsibility as chair, she said the city lacks oversight of homelessness spending and that the oversight bureau she established had not been staffed. - She said she supports Inside Safe but it is too expensive to be sustainable. - She said she shares Pratt's frustration but he is 'not a serious candidate', and accused Bass of boosting Pratt. ### LA mayor primary voter guide - LAist · position statement · published 2026-05-04 · stance: neutral - LAist's voter guide for the Los Angeles mayor race (published May 4, 2026, updated October 19, 2026). It profiles each candidate and quotes Nithya Raman's written answers to an LAist questionnaire on priorities, homelessness, Olympics costs, immigration enforcement and why she should be mayor. - Raman named housing and homelessness, basic city services and safer communities as her top priorities. - On homelessness she promised accountability tying every dollar to measurable results, a real-time public dashboard, performance-tied funding with underperforming contracts reformed or ended, and filling paid-for beds. - On the Olympics she called the risk of cost overruns 'real' and called for enforceable agreements capping city liability. - She described herself as author of LA's Sanctuary City Ordinance and pledged to oppose harmful federal immigration actions while engaging the administration where necessary. - Her case cites the strongest tenant protections in city history, a 54% cut in encampments in her district, and votes against contracts she says drove a billion-dollar deficit. - LAist notes she is in her second council term, ousted an incumbent in 2020, is an urban planner, and was elected with DSA backing. - Reference: Raman AirTalk transcript - Reference: Raman campaign website - Reference: LA Times: Raman's record may surprise you - Reference: LA Times: challenging Bass from the left ### Nithya Raman talks to LAist about why she should be LA's next mayor (Transcript) - LAist · interview · published 2026-04-22 · stance: neutral - Edited transcript of Larry Mantle's April 20, 2026 AirTalk interview with Councilmember Nithya Raman before a live audience at Loyola Marymount University. Raman explains her late entry, critiques Mayor Bass's proposed budget and the city's finances, discusses labor contracts, Measure ULA, rent stabilization, Inside Safe and alternatives, involuntary treatment and camping enforcement, the next LAPD chief, and city service delivery. - Raman said her frustrations deepened over the lack of fire preparation and the Palisades response and a 'lack of urgency' in the mayor's office, and that she does not plan to be a long-term politician. - She said last year's billion-dollar deficit was largely self-created by unaffordable contracts and poor fiscal management, and called a slight service increase a 'hollow improvement'; she said her own budget might not differ much but she would be 'much more honest.' - She said she has almost no organized labor support, believes in unions, and has pushed back on allies, citing her call to exempt new multifamily construction from Measure ULA, which she still supports as revenue. - She supports the rent stabilization ordinance and said any expansion should exempt new construction for 15 or 20 years. - She said she believes in encampment resolution and did it before Bass was elected, but that Inside Safe motel rooms cost over $80,000 a year and time-limited subsidies can house two or three households for the same cost; she cited only about 4% of shelter residents getting county mental health services and backs Medi-Cal-reimbursed street medicine teams. - She supports conservatorship for a small number of very sick people and enforcement of no-camping rules in places like parks and high fire-risk zones, but said regulation must be combined with shelter and services. - She said the next LAPD chief needs 'courage' and criticized Chief McDonnell's responses to protests, federal mutual-aid requests and the state mask ban; asked whether LAPD collaborates with ICE, she said 'I don't think so' but said even the appearance is frightening. - She said the city lacks a robust multi-year capital infrastructure plan and needs department metrics to hold leaders accountable and reward good workers. ### Mayoral hopeful Nithya Raman votes no on Venice anti-camping crackdown - Westside Current · news · published 2026-04-16 · stance: oppose - Westside Current report on the April 14, 2026 City Council vote, 11-4, designating 220 Rose Avenue in Venice as a LAMC 41.18 no-camping zone, with Raman among the four 'no' votes, and statements from Raman, Councilwoman Traci Park and Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez. - Raman pulled the item from a larger package for a separate vote and opposed it, joining councilmembers aligned with the DSA bloc. - Raman said this part of 41.18 duplicates existing camping laws and 'at best succeeds in moving homelessness around a neighborhood.' - Park, who introduced the resolution, cited assaults, thefts and other crimes at the site. - Rodriguez said Raman's votes on 41.18 are 'inconsistent' and 'seemingly motivated by election cycles.' - The site was the last unposted stretch of Rose Avenue after earlier Inside Safe operations. ### Raman homelessness platform: Inside Safe, LAHSA, oversight - LAist · news · published 2026-04-08 · stance: neutral - LAist report on Raman's April 2026 homelessness platform, which would prepare the city to move contracts away from LAHSA and scale back Inside Safe in favor of lower-cost interventions, with responses from the Bass campaign and comparison to her 2020 platform. - Raman said 'no one is in charge at City Hall' on homelessness and only the mayor's office can fix fragmentation. - She called Inside Safe 'the most expensive temporary housing intervention in the city by far', about $85,000 per motel room a year, and said the same money could fund three Time Limited Subsidy apartments (about $24,000 per household per the CAO). - LAist reports Inside Safe beds average over $225 a night vs about $86 for other interim housing (CAO), the city spent more than $300 million and moved more than 5,800 people indoors, and 40% later returned to the street. - LAist notes Raman voted with the council 13-1 for Bass's 2023-24 budget including $250 million for Inside Safe. - Her 2020 council platform called for eliminating policies that criminalize unhoused people, including LAPD-led sweeps; her 2026 platform calls for 'maintaining' capacity for encampment resolution. - She would build city capacity for direct contracting away from LAHSA, which her platform calls 'plagued with scandal'; Bass warned against withdrawing 'too quickly.' - She proposes Medi-Cal-funded street medicine teams, a citywide unarmed crisis team, and a clearer strategy for 6,500 people living in vehicles. - Reference: LA Times: 40% returned to street - Reference: CAO interim housing cost data - Reference: CAO Time Limited Subsidy report - Reference: Mayor's Office Inside Safe dashboard - Reference: LAist: LA weighs pulling funds from LAHSA ### Council File 26-0088 (Measure ULA motion) document - Los Angeles City Clerk · decision record · published 2026-02-13 · stance: not_applicable - Council File 26-0088 document: letters from the Measure ULA Citizen Oversight Committee (ULA-COC) responding to a January 27, 2026 City Council motion to amend Measure ULA, including proposed commercial/multifamily exemptions. The document does not name the motion's author. - On January 28, 2026 the COC voted 8-0 to send a letter to Council about the proposed ULA amendments and seated a Policy Amendment Review ad hoc committee. - The February 6, 2026 letter says the motion appears not to have considered the COC's role under Ordinance Section 22.618.8(b) to review amendments. - It says that if the COC finds amendments inconsistent with the measure's purposes, Council must adopt written findings supported by substantial evidence to proceed. - It says it will review City Attorney ballot language on the Section 21.9.2 commercial/multifamily exemptions, and notes technical fixes may not require a ballot measure. - Raman (CD4) is listed among the councilmembers copied. ### Nithya Raman says she's running for LA mayor after growing frustrated with how city works - ABC7 Los Angeles · interview · published 2026-02-11 · stance: neutral - ABC7 interview with Raman shortly after her last-minute February 2026 entry into the mayor's race, on why she is running, how she differs from Bass on homelessness, and her relationship with DSA. - Raman said she could no longer tell constituents 'I can't fix your streetlight for a year' and had hit her limits as a councilmember. - She said she has 'deep admiration' for Bass and they share many values (per ABC7). - She cited her district's record of clearing large encampments and moving people indoors, and called the city's system expensive and lacking accountability and metrics. - She said she has voted against groups that endorsed her, including DSA, and described herself as an outsider running against the political machine. - ABC7 notes Bass said she was 'flabbergasted' and that Raman's council term runs through 2028. ### The System That We Have to Respond to Homelessness Is Not One That Was Designed to Help People - Jacobin · interview · published 2020-02-16 · stance: support - Only the introduction of a February 2020 Jacobin interview with Raman during her first council race is available; the interview itself is paywalled. - Jacobin describes Raman as an urban planner who stepped down as executive director of Time's Up Entertainment to run in the March 3, 2020 CD4 primary. - Jacobin says she ran on a homes guarantee, a just transition, immigration reform and a more democratic council, with endorsements from Sunrise Movement LA, Ground Game and DSA-LA, of which she is a member. ### Protecting renters - Nithya Raman campaign · position statement · published undated · stance: support - Raman's campaign page on protecting renters, describing tenant protections passed during her council tenure and proposing an Office of Tenant Protections, court partnerships, an Office of Home-Sharing, and anti-corporatization measures. - Credits Raman's leadership for universal Just Cause eviction protections, a minimum-arrears threshold for eviction, required eviction-notice filing, anti-harassment rules and Right to Counsel. - Says Raman led the effort to lower allowable rent-stabilized increases for the first time in 40 years, from 3-8% to 1-4% annually, for over 1.5 million Angelenos. - Says enforcement lags: of 21,402 tenant-harassment complaints (Aug 2021-Aug 2025), only 35 were referred to the City Attorney. - Proposes an Office of Tenant Protections, data-sharing with LA Superior Court to support mediation and rent relief before trial, and an Office of Home-Sharing to curb illegal short-term rentals. - Proposes Ellis Act reform, support for small landlords, and prohibiting private equity from systematically buying single-family homes. - Reference: LA Controller evictions data ### Ending homelessness (campaign issues) - Nithya Raman campaign · position statement · published undated · stance: support - A Raman campaign issue page (served at the campaign site's 'issues' address) on the Department of Water and Power. Despite the 'Ending homelessness' title recorded at discovery, the page's content concerns LADWP rates, transparency and infrastructure, and lays out her plan to audit and reform the utility. - The campaign says LADWP bills rose over 40% under Mayor Bass and the average household pays almost $1,000 more per year. - It says the Council has not passed a rate ordinance in over a decade and that increases were made through 'adjustment factors' now over two-thirds of rates. - Plan: work with Controller Mejia and the Ratepayer Advocate on a full DWP audit, audit meter reading and billing, and explore rolling back executive pay. - Plan: require DWP to justify rates before Council, offer monthly bills and payment flexibility, restore affordability programs struck down by a 2023 court order, deploy smart meters. - Plan: plan for water availability in large fires, accelerate pipe replacement, reform service-connection rules hindering housing, and expand efficiency and demand-response programs. ### Opinion: Does Nithya Raman's shift on policing signal something bigger? - Westside Current · third party analysis · published undated · stance: mixed - ### Socialist councilwoman running for LA mayor votes against cleaning homeless camps - Western Journal · news · published undated · stance: oppose - ### Housing for all - Nithya Raman campaign · position statement · published undated · stance: support - Raman's campaign housing platform, 'Housing for All', which pledges to triple annual housing construction through permitting deadlines, rezoning, bureaucratic reform, unified affordable-housing financing and homeownership measures. - Calls the housing crisis 'almost entirely self-made' by land-use policy and bureaucracy. - Would issue an executive directive creating a permitting 'shot clock': 60 days for zoning-compliant projects and 120 for discretionary ones, plus coordinated intake, a single-inspector model and citywide self-certification. - Would update the General Plan Framework to rezone high-opportunity corridors near transit for by-right housing, allow duplexes to fourplexes in single-family neighborhoods near transit, and create select high-rise zones built by union labor. - Would create an independent board for land-use disputes, raise appeal fees for non-neighbors, and create an LADWP Housing Strike Force. - Would launch a 'Super NOFA' bundling affordable-housing funds and build publicly owned, permanently affordable housing on city land. - Would allow ADUs to be sold separately (opt in to AB 1033) and seek condo liability reform. ### Who belongs in LA? (housing and homelessness platform) - Nithya Raman campaign · position statement · published undated · stance: support - An undated Raman campaign housing and homelessness platform titled 'Who Belongs in LA?'. Its content describes Council District 4 under prior council leadership and refers to the Mayor's CARE program, so it reads as her earlier council-campaign platform. It calls for eliminating laws that criminalize homelessness, ending LAPD-involved encampment sweeps, a temporary rent freeze, right to counsel, and expanded affordable and 'first step' housing. - Proposes Community Access Centers in every neighborhood with case managers, outreach and a small number of beds. - Says 'we must stop criminalizing homelessness' and calls for removing municipal codes 56.11, 41.18 and 85.02, which it says criminalize having bulky belongings, sitting or sleeping on sidewalks, and sleeping in cars. - Opposes encampment sweeps, supports the Services not Sweeps model, and encourages removing LAPD from cleanups entirely. - Calls for a temporary zero-percent rent freeze, tying rent-controlled increases to real wages, right to counsel and expanded rental assistance including for undocumented residents. - Calls for by-right 100% affordable housing approved within 90 days, legalizing shared-facility 'first step housing', and a public fund to acquire affordable properties. ### L.A. mayoral candidate Nithya Raman's record may surprise you - Los Angeles Times (via Yahoo) · news · published undated · stance: neutral - ## Suggested use Ask me neutral questions about this subject using the material above. Distinguish what the sources say from your own background knowledge, cite the source titles you rely on, and say when information may be out of date given the dates shown.