Overview
- Los Angeles County Federation of Labor endorsed Mayor Karen Bass and labeled Councilmember Nithya Raman a political opportunist after her last-minute challenge.
- Raman told NBC4 she would maintain LAPD staffing to improve 911 response times, a shift from her 2020 “defund” rhetoric and her recent vote against hiring 170 additional officers.
- Political analysts say Raman’s entry makes a June 2 runoff more likely, fracturing progressive votes in a crowded field and complicating Bass’s path to a primary majority.
- Raman, chair of the City Council’s Housing and Homelessness Committee, has expanded tenant protections, aligned with YIMBY goals, and recently failed to advance a proposal to exempt newer apartments from Measure ULA taxes.
- Bass’s campaign highlighted support from multiple council members, while Raman frames her run as a push to fix basic services such as long-delayed streetlight repairs and to tighten accountability.