All posts tagged: Raman

The record of Nithya Raman, L.A. mayoral candidate, may surprise you

The record of Nithya Raman, L.A. mayoral candidate, may surprise you

Published by Sam Flores

More than five years ago, Nithya Raman made history as the first candidate backed by the Democratic Socialists of America to win a City Council seat in Los Angeles, ushering in a wave of other progressive candidates who pushed the council to the left. Now, her surprising last-minute entry into the L.A. mayor’s race is prompting inevitable comparisons to Zohran Mamdani, another DSA-backed politician who recently was elected mayor of New York City. But Raman’s record as a City Council member hasn’t always aligned with the far left. In fact, her stances on issues such as homelessness, transportation and protecting immigrants from the Trump administration are similar to those of her opponent and former ally, Mayor Karen Bass. As her campaign moves forward, Raman will have to differentiate herself from Bass — as well as address the narrative that she betrayed Bass, who offered an important boost to her reelection campaign in 2024. On housing, Raman has at times angered progressives by aligning with the YIMBY movement, which has pushed for the city to boost …

By running for mayor, Nithya Raman will learn how progressive L.A. really isn’t

By running for mayor, Nithya Raman will learn how progressive L.A. really isn’t

Published by Sam Flores

On the last day of January, hundreds of people filled the pews of Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Koreatown to hear not the word of God but the gospel of the Democratic Socialists of America. It was the local chapter’s bimonthly meeting and also a kickoff event for a year during which they planned to build on an already impressive foothold in L.A. politics. Four of their own are council members and the two up for reelection — Eunisses Hernandez and Hugo Soto-Martínez — received standing ovations after their impassioned speeches. They implored the faithful to believe that anything is politically possible in a year when President Trump is waging war on Los Angeles and one of their own, Zohran Mamdani, is the mayor of New York. Among the true believers was someone who arrived late that day: L.A.’s original democratic socialist insurgent, Nithya Raman. She shocked the city’s political class in 2020 by beating Councilmember David Ryu — the first time in 17 years that an incumbent lost their seat. Her upset blazed the way …

Councilmember Nithya Raman to run for L.A. mayor, challenging onetime ally Karen Bass

Councilmember Nithya Raman to run for L.A. mayor, challenging onetime ally Karen Bass

Published by Sam Flores

For a few fleeting hours, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass seemed to be facing a clear path to reelection, after several high-powered challengers pulled out or declined to enter the race. But just three hours before the filing deadline, progressive City Councilmember Nithya Raman, a onetime Bass ally, launched a mayoral bid, shocking the city’s political establishment and upending the race. Her candidacy poses the most serious threat yet to Bass, who for the last year has faced bruising criticism over her handling of the devastating Palisades fire. On Saturday, Raman portrayed the city government as unable to tackle high housing costs, fix broken streetlights or address the stubborn homelessness crisis. City agencies, she said, “can’t seem to manage the basics.” “Los Angeles is at a breaking point, and people feel it in the most basic ways,” she said after submitting her candidate paperwork at the City Clerk’s Office. Raman, 44, who had previously endorsed the mayor’s reelection bid, called Bass “an icon” and someone she deeply admires. But she said the city needs a …