Nithya Raman is projected to win the Los Angeles mayoral race, defeating incumbent Karen Bass, according to election polling site Decision Desk HQ. Raman is ahead by more than three percentage points, with nearly three-quarters of expected votes counted. The final tally may take a week or longer because mail ballots postmarked by Election Day remain valid if they arrive by early next week.
Raman, a progressive City Councilmember, ran as an insurgent candidate against the local Democratic Party establishment. Bass faced criticism over housing and affordability, the loss of entertainment production in the region and her response to the Palisades wildfire.
At her election-night event on Nov. 3 at the Greek Theatre, Raman criticized what she called the cynicism surrounding Los Angeles’ problems and said the city was worth fighting for. If confirmed, she will be the city’s first Asian American mayor.
A Harvard- and MIT-trained urban planner, Raman founded a Los Angeles homelessness nonprofit and was executive director of Time’s Up before winning her council seat in 2020. Her district includes parts of the San Fernando Valley, Hollywood Hills and Eastside, as well as major entertainment landmarks and NBCUniversal.
Raman received support from figures in Hollywood, including Tina Fey, Mike Schur, Mindy Kaling and Cord Jefferson. Both candidates backed unlimited state-level film and television tax credits and a federal incentive intended to help the United States compete internationally for production. Raman criticized Bass over the timing of her appointment of a film-industry liaison, though Raman’s own record on Hollywood’s concerns has also drawn scrutiny amid continuing production losses.
Housing has been a central issue for Raman. She initially supported Measure ULA, known as the Mansion Tax, and later called for changes after the measure’s effects on apartment construction became apparent.
Bass, 73, was Los Angeles’ first female mayor and its second Black mayor. Before taking office, she served in California’s State Assembly and in Congress. Her reelection campaign was backed by Hollywood figures including Jane Fonda, J.J. Abrams, Samuel L. Jackson and Anthony Anderson.
Raman’s campaign also encountered tension with the Democratic Socialists of America. She was censured by the Los Angeles chapter in 2024 over her positions on Israel; the local chapter later endorsed her mayoral run, while the organization’s national leadership challenged that decision.
The mayoral contest followed a heated primary that drew national attention to former reality television personality Spencer Pratt, who campaigned after losing his home in the Palisades wildfire and alleged government negligence. Real estate developer Rick Caruso, who lost to Bass in 2022 and declined to run again, said in October that he would vote for her.
Raman’s term is set to overlap with Los Angeles’ hosting of the 2028 Summer Olympics. The complete election results have not yet been reported.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter.