Nithya Raman, 44, Enters Los Angeles Mayor Race Hours Before Deadline
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 3
Nithya Raman, 44, Enters Los Angeles Mayor Race Hours Before Deadline
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 3
Nithya Raman launched a late bid for Los Angeles mayor, announcing her candidacy just hours before the filing deadline and surprising even some close allies, including Mayor Karen Bass.
The 44-year-old City Council progressive is trying to separate herself from Bass while stressing shared Democratic priorities in a race that also includes Republican reality-TV figure Spencer Pratt.
Raman built her profile by unseating an incumbent in 2020 with what was then a record City Council vote total, part of a broader progressive surge fueled by younger renters angry over housing costs.
Housing and homelessness are central to her pitch: a Harvard- and MIT-educated urban planner, Raman says her work in India shaped her approach, and she has highlighted encampment reductions and support from YIMBY activists.