Progressive Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman (D) on Saturday made a last-minute bid to challenge Mayor Karen Bass (D) in the June primary election.
Raman made the announcement hours before the 12 p.m. filing deadline for candidates be on the ballot. She praised Bass in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, calling the mayor "an icon" but said the city needs someone who will tackle its problems.
"I have deep respect for Mayor Bass," Raman told the Times. "We've worked closely together on my biggest priorities and her biggest priorities, and there's significant alignment there. But over the last few months in particular, I've really begun to feel like unless we have some big changes in how we do things in Los Angeles, that the things we count on are not going to function anymore."
Raman said after leaving the city clerk's office that Angelenos have given the city council "a lot of faith" in addressing affordable housing and homelessness, "and if we don't show results to them, I think we will lose them," ABC 7 Los Angeles reported.
"We are making decisions about our budget that are based on political calculations, as opposed to what is best for Angelenos and what is best for Los Angeles' middle class," she said. "I think we can change."
She added that Los Angeles "is at a breaking point" over these issues, saying that the price of housing is "forcing families out of the city" and that there is no "clear ownership and accountability" over helping people who are homeless. Raman is the chair of the city's Housing and Homelessness Committee.
"The last thing Los Angeles needs is a politician who opposed cleaning up homeless encampments and efforts to make our city safer," Bass's office told The Hill about Raman's candidacy. "Mayor Bass will continue changing L.A. by building on her track record delivering L.A.'s first sustained decrease in street homelessness, a 60 year-low in homicides, and the most aggressive agenda our city has ever seen to make our city more affordable."
Raman was the first of three candidates aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America to win seats on the city council, followed by Hugo Soto-Martinez and Eunisses Hernandez. Raman defeated former City Councilmember David Ryu in 2020 and was reelected in 2024.
She represents the city's 4th district, which covers Griffith Park, Los Feliz, Silver Lake and portions of the San Fernando Valley and Santa Monica Mountains.
The last-minute addition to the race comes after former Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Austin Beutner dropped out of the race on Thursday after tossing his hat in the ring in October. Beutner said he decided to exit the race after his 22-year-old daughter died last month.
Developer Rick Caruso, who ran against Bass in 2022, said Thursday he will not run.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath also ended speculation about a potential run, saying on Friday that she will focus on running for a second term on the Board of Supervisors.
Former star of the reality show "The Hills" Spencer Pratt launched his campaign last month. Pratt has been critical of Bass and her handling of the devastating Palisades and Eaton fires last year, losing his home in the Pacific Palisades.
Bass has faced increasing pressure over her administration's handling of two of the largest fires in Los Angeles history.
The Times, citing sources familiar with Bass's office, reported on Wednesday that Bass wanted important findings in an October report about how the Los Angeles Fire Department handled the Palisades fire to be removed over concerns of legal liabilities. Her denied the reporting, telling the outlet that it was "muckraking journalism at its lowest form."