Nithya Raman, an urban planner and Los Angeles City Council member who moved from India as a child, has secured a spot in the November 2026 runoff for mayor of Los Angeles. Raman finished second in the June 2 primary, taking 29.02% of the vote (247,781 votes), while incumbent Mayor Karen Bass led with 34.27% (292,593 votes). Spencer Pratt came in third with 25.53%. Since no candidate won a majority, the city’s two-candidate runoff system now sets up a direct contest between Raman and Bass on November 3, 2026. This is Raman’s first campaign for citywide office, while Bass is seeking a second term after first being elected mayor in 2022.
Raman's campaign has pushed for more housing construction and stronger renter protections. She has also called for better basic city services. Her proposals include expanding unarmed emergency-response services and making it easier for small businesses to get permits. Raman’s platform features pledges to protect immigrants and address the city’s homelessness crisis. Housing policy has become a key dividing line in the runoff, with YIMBY and housing-abundance groups backing Raman. She has opposed delaying California Senate Bill 79 until 2030 and has pressed for faster compliance with state housing requirements. Raman has proposed permit "shot clocks" to require zoning-compliant projects to be processed within 60 days and discretionary projects within 120 days during her first 100 days in office. She aims to speed up housing production and overhaul permitting processes.
Background and Political Record
Before joining city politics, Raman worked on homelessness initiatives and co-founded the SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition in Los Angeles. She holds degrees from Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she earned a master's in urban planning. In 2020, Raman became the first South Asian person elected to the Los Angeles City Council after defeating incumbent David Ryu. She won re-election in 2024 and has focused on housing affordability, tenant protections, and climate policy. Raman also served as executive director of Time's Up Entertainment, an organization that addresses sexual harassment in Hollywood.
Campaign Dynamics and Policy Debate
Raman entered the mayoral race in February 2026, after previously endorsing Bass. Her campaign has faced scrutiny over changing positions on policing and homelessness programs, as well as the city’s mansion tax. Bass and her supporters have questioned Raman’s experience and her approach to public safety. Raman has argued for new leadership and more government accountability. Public safety and police leadership have been major issues, with reports that Raman plans to remove Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell, whom Bass appointed two years earlier. Former mayoral candidate Rick Caruso voiced "extreme concern" about this proposal but did not endorse either candidate. Bass has warned that removing McDonnell before the 2028 Olympic Games could disrupt the department, emphasizing continuity and stability. Raman has presented the issue as part of a broader push for change in city government.
Latino voters and geographic factors have also shaped the runoff. According to CalMatters, Bass carried 120 of 144 analyzed precincts with heavily Latino electorates in the primary, taking 37.5% of the vote in those areas and beating Raman’s share by 11 percentage points. This gives Bass a clear advantage among Latino voters heading into the runoff, making it crucial for Raman to broaden her support beyond her progressive and housing-focused base.
Endorsements have influenced the race. Raman received support from Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath during the runoff campaign, boosting her standing in the Westside and San Fernando Valley. Bass kept broad institutional support inside City Hall, with 13 City Council colleagues endorsing her, and Councilmember Traci Park saying she would vote for Bass despite some reservations. This split shows the competing alliances among city and county Democrats, elected officials, and neighborhood-based groups.
Campaign finance filings in October showed Bass had raised about $3.4 million for the runoff campaign, compared with roughly $3 million for Raman. In the one-month reporting period ending October 17, Bass collected $827,000 in contributions and taxpayer matching funds, while Raman reported $485,000. Despite Bass’s overall fundraising lead, Raman had nearly $1.4 million left for the final stretch, about twice Bass’s reported cash on hand, giving her campaign a sizable late-stage financial reserve.
A September poll by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times, found Raman leading Bass among likely voters, 39% to 28%, with 33% undecided. The poll, conducted September 15–20, 2026, showed that the runoff electorate and campaign environment differed from the primary, with many voters still undecided and the outcome depending on persuasion and turnout among supporters of eliminated candidates.
The runoff has centered on Bass’s record during a difficult first term, including homelessness, public safety, wildfire preparedness, and basic city services. The campaign environment was further shaped by the deadly Palisades Fire, which started while Bass was out of the country and raised concerns about the Fire Department’s preparedness. With Bass’s first-place primary finish at just 34%, about two-thirds of primary voters chose another candidate. This gives Raman a chance to consolidate anti-Bass voters, but she still needs to win over those who have not supported her in a citywide race. The November 3 election will decide whether Bass’s incumbency and institutional support or Raman’s campaign for change wins in Los Angeles.
For more on the background and context of the race, see Times of India coverage. Additional reporting can be found at Associated Press and Los Angeles Times.
