L.A. Council Colleagues Offer Support to Mayor-Elect Raman

Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman defeated incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in the mayoral race that concluded on November 3, 2026.

Raman secured a commanding lead as voter results were processed by the L.A. County Register-Recorder/County Clerk, with 429,450 votes to Bass’ 394,796 out of the expected ballots counted. Bass conceded the race on November 5. This was the first time an incumbent Los Angeles mayor lost a reelection bid since Jim Hahn was defeated by Antonio Villaraigosa in 2005.

Democratic Socialist Victory Brings National Attention

Raman’s victory extends a political wave for the Democratic Socialists. This followed Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral win in New York City the previous year. As the second-largest city in the United States, Los Angeles now has its first democratic socialist mayor, though Raman did not run an overtly socialist campaign.

The election drew national attention as voters cast ballots amid midterm races nationwide. The Democratic Socialists claimed more than 50 midterm victories across the country. They asserted that the results prove socialism can win in the U.S.

“The thing that convinced people that were skeptical was this idea that Nithya represents a means for the larger movement of municipal socialism and that her election would provide an opening for further growth of our movement,” J Ryder, another Democratic Socialists of America-Los Angeles member, said.

Born in 1981, Raman moved to the United States as a child with her family and settled outside Boston. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Social Studies/Political Theory from Harvard University in 2003. She earned a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

City Council Colleagues Welcome the New Mayor

When Raman returned to City Hall for her first council meeting following the election, she received a welcome from colleagues who had universally opposed her mayoral run. Los Angeles City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson introduced her. He told the chamber that the city settles its differences through the sacred process of elections.

Several council members who had criticized Raman during the campaign offered public support. Councilmember Curren Price addressed the mayor-elect directly during the meeting. He said, “Full disclosure, you know that I didn’t support you last week,” and added that the mayor-elect had his full support now.

Councilmember Ysabel Jurado said that seeing someone with progressive ideals run for council and fly solo in her mayoral bid inspired her own run. Councilmember Imelda Padilla described her past stint on the Raman-chaired Housing and Homelessness Committee as unproductive.

Councilmember Monica Rodriguez characterized Raman’s decision to challenge her former ally Bass as backstabbing and disgusting. Councilmember Traci Park questioned whether Raman stands for anything at all, stating she would vote for Bass.

Public Safety Plans Face Police Department Pressures

Public safety is a central challenge for the incoming administration. Raman’s platform proposes expanding unarmed crisis response teams to every neighborhood and integrating them directly into 911 dispatch, alongside increasing civilian personnel within the Los Angeles Police Department.

Raman voted to expand the LAPD budget in 2021, 2022, and 2023. She also opposed police raises in 2023 and opposed Bass’s plan to hire 170 additional officers. William Gude, a police accountability advocate who supported Raman, said he plans to pressure her to ask Police Chief Jim McDonnell to resign. The Los Angeles Police Protective League issued warnings regarding potential officer departures under her leadership.

In her first press conference as mayor-elect, Raman addressed questions regarding her campaign pledge to replace Police Chief Jim McDonnell. She said the chief was one of her first phone calls after winning the election.

Homelessness Targets Target the 2028 Summer Olympics

Raman will inherit pressing administrative burdens, including high housing costs, homelessness, and preparations for the 2028 Summer Olympics. She set a goal to reduce street homelessness in the city by 50 percent over the next two years, moving away from her predecessor’s reliance on the expensive Inside Safe program.

In her concession statement, Bass reflected on her historic tenure as the city’s first Black woman mayor. She said that four years ago, voters elected her as the first Black woman mayor in the history of Los Angeles.

Raman is scheduled to be sworn into office in December. At that point, the City Council will determine how to fill the vacant seat she leaves behind.

More on this story: Nithya Raman Elected Mayor of Los Angeles Defeating Karen Bass · Mayor Mamdani Names 33 Nonprofit Leaders to Council