LA city council member Nithya Raman launches bid for mayor
In what's already turned into a tumultuous mayoral race in Los Angeles, a new candidate launched her campaign on Saturday, just months away from the election.
Councilmember Nithya Raman, who represents parts of LA stretching from the San Fernando Valley to Silver Lake in District 4, announced her candidacy during a news conference just hours before the city deadline to file. She joins former reality TV star Spencer Pratt, Deputy Director of Housing Now California Rae Huang, longtime city engineer Asaad Alnajjar and incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in the race.
"Los Angeles needs a mayor who's going to take responsibility for the whole system," Raman told reporters on Saturday. "This is a city of extraordinary possibility, but possibility only matters if our leadership is accountable for delivering it, and I'm ready to lead this city with seriousness, accountability, urgency and ambition that is equal to this moment."
Raman took office in 2020 after working as an urban planner in her native India and running a homelessness nonprofit in LA.
Homelessness and housing has remained a central issue for Raman during her tenure, as well as public and environmental health.
A member of the Democratic Socialists of America, she was censured by the group's LA chapter in 2024 after accepting an endorsement from Democrats for Israel. The chapter still chose to endorse her in her reelection bid for District 4. If elected, she'd join other prominent members in government, like New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
In a statement, Bass' Campaign Advisor Douglas Herman mentioned the key issue of homelessness in the city.
"The last thing Los Angeles needs is a politician who opposed cleaning up homeless encampments and efforts to make our city safer," the statement said. "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."
Raman's entry into the race comes as other candidates have dropped out or solidified their commitment not to run.
On Thursday, former deputy mayor and Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Austin Buetner exited the race after the sudden death of his 22-year-old daughter in December.
"My family has experienced the unimaginable loss of our beloved daughter Emily. She was a magical person, the light of our lives. We are still in mourning," he wrote.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath announced Friday night that she will not run for mayor, choosing instead to focus on her reelection bid for supervisor.
Billionaire and runner-up in the 2022 LA mayoral election, Rick Caruso, also announced this week that he won't seek office despite speculation that he'd challenge Bass once again.
"I am deeply grateful to the countless people who encouraged me to run, and who generously shared their time and energy," Caruso wrote in a post to X. "After much reflection and many heartfelt conversations with my family, I have decided not to pursue elected office at this time."