Voters in Los Angeles have elected Nithya Raman as mayor, making her the first South Asian to lead the city. Raman's win marks the first time a person of South Asian descent will serve as mayor of Los Angeles, the second-largest city in the United States. The race brought an unusual result, as Raman became the first challenger in more than twenty years to defeat a sitting Los Angeles mayor. The Los Angeles Times reported that as of November 5, 2026, with 76% of expected votes counted, Raman held about 52% to Bass's 48%. Later county updates from the San Diego Union-Tribune showed Raman with 429,450 votes (52.10%) and Bass with 394,796 votes (47.90%), a difference of nearly 35,000 votes. The count was still ongoing when Bass conceded, and county officials planned to certify the results on November 27, 2026. Bass said she called Councilmember Nithya Raman to congratulate her and promised to support a smooth transition. Raman's term begins December 8, with the mayor's office paying $310,000 a year. For more, see the Los Angeles Times coverage.
Raman's campaign put homelessness, housing costs, and declining public services at the center. She promised to expand medical outreach for people in encampments and to add housing options for those staying in city-leased hotels. Raman also set a goal to cut the number of people living in tents and encampments by at least half before the 2028 Olympic Games. Her political identity focused on progressive stances on homelessness, housing, tenant protections, and public services, and her campaign was closely tied to the Democratic Socialists of America. The Washington Post called the result "a major win for DSA."
Background and Political Path
Born in Thrissur, Kerala, in 1981, Raman moved to the U.S. at age six. She studied social studies at Harvard University and earned a master's in urban planning from MIT. Before entering Los Angeles politics, Raman worked with NGOs in India supporting slum residents and founded Transparent Chennai, a civic data project. After returning to Los Angeles in 2013, she co-founded the SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition in 2017 and won a City Council seat in 2020, representing the Fourth Council District. She became the first South Asian and the first Asian-American woman elected to the Los Angeles City Council, keeping her seat in 2024.
On the City Council, Raman focused on tenant rights and housing protections. She pointed to universal Just Cause eviction rules and higher relocation aid for renters as key achievements. The city also started requiring landlords to report eviction notices, which let council offices reach out to tenants about available help.
Election Dynamics and Policy Priorities
The race was seen as a contest between an incumbent mayor facing political trouble and a progressive city councilmember backed by the Democratic Socialists of America. Early returns on election night gave Bass a slim lead, but Raman pulled ahead as more ballots came in. At one point, with about 62.7% of expected votes counted, Raman led with 377,458 votes (51.12%) to Bass's 360,864 votes (48.88%). NBC News later showed Raman at 405,193 votes (51.7%) and Bass at 379,069 votes (48.3%) with 72% of expected votes counted. NBC News noted Bass would have needed 54.3% of the remaining votes to catch up. The shifting margins explained why news outlets waited to call the race and why late ballots proved decisive. Variety reported that ballots arriving late tended to favor younger voters and renters, groups seen as strong for Raman, and that Bass's early lead was not enough to offset Raman's support among these voters. The move from an initial Bass lead to a Raman win reflected both the order of ballot counting and the different voter bases of the two campaigns. For more, see Variety's analysis.
Bass' first term as mayor was shaped by the January 2025 Palisades and Eaton fires, which killed 31 people and destroyed more than 16,000 structures. Her administration faced questions about emergency readiness and disaster response, especially since the Palisades Fire started while she was abroad. Ongoing concerns about homelessness and public services further weakened her standing. Raman's campaign, with support from the Democratic Socialists of America, contrasted with Bass' endorsements from high-profile Democrats like California Governor Gavin Newsom, former Vice-President Kamala Harris, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Raman entered the mayoral race after first endorsing Bass, announcing her own candidacy just hours before the filing deadline in February 2026. She was initially expected to finish behind Bass and reality TV figure Spencer Pratt. Raman argued that Los Angeles had reached a "breaking point" and called for a new direction in city leadership. In her election-night speech, Raman criticized the city's current approach, saying: "For too long our broken and unjust status quo has convinced Angelenos that this is the best that we can do." She promised to build affordable housing, improve parks and public transport, and restore trust in local government.
Bass conceded on November 5, congratulating Raman and promising a smooth transition. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Raman's lead had grown to 34,654 votes, up from a 26,124-vote margin the day before. After the projection, Raman released a statement thanking supporters and acknowledging Bass. The county registrar's numbers were still provisional at the time of concession, with final certification set for November 27, 2026. Raman will take office on December 8, with the 2028 Olympics set to test her administration. Her promise to halve the number of people living in tents and encampments by the Games will draw attention, along with her plans to improve public services and change the city's approach to policing. For more on the run-up to this election, see the earlier breakdown.
