Greater than 5 years in the past, Nithya Raman made historical past as the primary candidate backed by the Democratic Socialists of America to win a Metropolis Council seat in Los Angeles, ushering in a wave of different progressive candidates who pushed the council to the left.
Now, her stunning last-minute entry into the L.A. mayor’s race is prompting inevitable comparisons to Zohran Mamdani, one other DSA-backed politician who not too long ago was elected mayor of New York Metropolis.
However Raman’s document as a Metropolis Council member hasn’t at all times aligned with the far left.
In reality, her stances on points similar to homelessness, transportation and defending immigrants from the Trump administration are just like these of her opponent and former ally, Mayor Karen Bass.
As her marketing campaign strikes ahead, Raman should differentiate herself from Bass — in addition to deal with the narrative that she betrayed Bass, who provided an essential enhance to her reelection marketing campaign in 2024.
On housing, Raman has at occasions angered progressives by aligning with the YIMBY motion, which has pushed for town to spice up housing manufacturing and rewrite Measure ULA, the so-called mansion tax, which applies to property gross sales of $5.3 million or extra.
In an interview Monday, she portrayed herself as not beholden to any particular curiosity teams.
“Sure, I’m a YIMBY,” Raman stated, referring to the pro-housing “Sure in My Yard” acronym. “I’m a DSA-endorsed — a number of occasions — candidate.
“However I really feel like I’ve demonstrated time and again that my decision-making has been unbiased. … I arise and discuss coverage change, even when it alienates my allies.”
Not like another native politicians and mayoral candidates, Raman had not publicly criticized Bass concerning the Palisades fireplace. However after submitting her candidate paperwork Saturday, she informed reporters town wants a mayor who will “put together for emergencies earlier than they occur.”
Raman, 44, who lives in Silver Lake and is married with two younger youngsters, was born in India and got here to the U.S. at age 6. She graduated from Harvard College and earned a grasp’s diploma in city planning from MIT.
In 2020, she was a frontrunner of Time’s Up, an anti-harassment group born after the #MeToo motion, when she launched a bid to characterize a Metropolis Council district that stretches from Silver Lake to Sherman Oaks.
Her victory over David Ryu was the primary time in 17 years {that a} challenger ousted a Metropolis Council incumbent.
Different progressive candidates adopted go well with and ran for workplace. At this time, on a 15-seat Metropolis Council, Raman is considered one of 4 DSA-backed members who’ve championed insurance policies in favor of renters and pushed again towards spending on the Police Division.
However Raman’s late entry into the race, hours earlier than Saturday’s submitting deadline, might make it more durable for her to amass assist and funding.
On Monday, 9 of Raman’s Metropolis Council colleagues reiterated their endorsements of Bass’ reelection. Raman herself had endorsed Bass.
Hugo Soto-Martínez, one of many DSA-backed council members, stated in a press release, “Whereas I acknowledge Nithya’s contributions to town, I used to be caught off-guard by her last-minute maneuver, and I proceed to strongly assist Mayor Bass. Even after we disagree, I’ve by no means doubted Mayor Bass and her long-standing dedication to the neighborhood.”
Bass stated in a press release: “I’m honored to have the assist of those metropolis leaders, and I stay up for persevering with working with them to avoid wasting lives by unprecedented reforms which have resulted in historic drops in each road homelessness and crime.”
Raman, who chairs the council’s Housing and Homelessness committee, has championed some historically progressive measures, similar to just-cause eviction protections and strengthening town’s lease stabilization ordinance.
Underneath laws backed by Raman, landlords now not can evict tenants from any rental property, together with single-family properties, until there’s unpaid lease, documented lease violations, proprietor move-ins or different particular causes.
Such protections already existed in rent-stabilized models, and making them common included an extra 400,000 models, in response to town.
In 2023, she and different DSA-backed council members voted towards a package deal of police raises, arguing that they might set off cuts to different core companies.
Former Metropolis Councilmember Mike Bonin described working with Raman to create a renters registry so town might monitor unlawful lease hikes. Her proposal for the registration wasn’t attention-grabbing however was very important work as a result of the “metropolis has a horrible monitor document of imposing something,” he stated.
“She’s sensible and she or he’s severe,” Bonin stated, including that Raman is about “making techniques work.”
Raman additionally has a document of supporting denser housing and opposing efforts to become involved in authorized fights over proposed controversial improvement.
Whereas the Metropolis Council, together with Bass, opposed Senate Invoice 79 by state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), which permits denser housing close to transit stops, Raman didn’t be a part of within the vote.
Extra not too long ago, Raman tried to rewrite Measure ULA. She has pointed to proof that the measure is making it tougher for builders to earn a revenue on new housing developments, killing potential offers and worsening the housing disaster.
Final month, she requested her colleagues to position a measure on the June 2 poll that will spare the sellers of newer condominium buildings from paying the tax. However council members, confronted with an outcry from labor leaders and the various neighborhood teams that assist Measure ULA, refused to take up Raman’s proposal.
Raman and Bass, 72, face almost 40 different opponents, the overwhelming majority of them unknowns who pose little menace, although just a few have the potential to interrupt by with voters.
Actuality TV star Spencer Pratt, a Republican, has targeted closely on town’s dealing with of the Palisades fireplace, which destroyed his house.
One other democratic socialist, Rae Huang, is asking for extra public housing and a discount within the variety of cops, with the fee financial savings poured into different metropolis companies.
Brentwood tech entrepreneur Adam Miller, who has described himself as a lifelong Democrat, stated town is on a downward trajectory and desires stronger administration.
Matthew Lewis, director of communications for California YIMBY, stated that pro-housing teams across the nation “lit up with pleasure” after phrase of Raman’s Eleventh-hour entry into the mayor’s race.
“She’s giving Mamdani vibes,” Lewis stated. “He’s additionally DSA, however he ran on a YIMBY platform.”
However Raman could face a troublesome viewers in components of town the place she just isn’t well-known, and in addition in some San Fernando Valley neighborhoods she represents.
A rash of burglaries final summer time in and round Encino angered some residents, who view Raman as anti-police and are suspicious of her DSA endorsements.
Rob Glushon, head of the Encino Property House owners Assn., was at a Little League sport Saturday when his cellphone began “blowing up” about Raman’s run.
Glushon balks at a lot of Raman’s positions, together with her opposition to a regulation that permits town to ban homeless folks from the streets close to colleges.
“Mayor Karen Bass is trying higher and higher,” he stated.
Though she has but to stipulate her marketing campaign objectives, Raman stated that fiscal points are stopping town from having the ability to handle even fundamental repairs, similar to fixing streetlights.
Her marketing campaign is so new that she hasn’t even constructed a web site trumpeting her priorities. She solely began to significantly take into account operating for mayor within the final week, she stated.
“Everyone seems to be free to run,” Bass informed The Instances. “I’m operating on my document, operating on the collaboration I’ve had together with her. I don’t assume there are any issues that she is elevating concerning the metropolis of Los Angeles that I’m not involved about as nicely.”
