Nithya Raman Faces Massive Test to Rebuild Los Angeles

In a column for the Orange County Register, the editorial board argues that Mayor-elect Nithya Raman faces a massive test to rebuild Los Angeles following her election victory over incumbent Karen Bass.

The national media quickly framed the race by pointing to victories by self-described democratic socialists in other major American cities. Yet the Orange County Register reported that Raman campaigned on a reform agenda rather than a socialistic one, even though she is a progressive who has taken controversial positions.

Los Angeles mayor-elect Nithya Raman talks to media after election victory — AP Archive

During an editorial board interview before the primary, Raman was asked about her Democratic Socialists of America background and the possibility of municipal grocery stores. “I am not making those kinds of promises,” she told the Orange County Register, emphasizing a focus on delivering basic government services that residents already pay for.

Raman enters office as a trained urban planner with a master’s degree from MIT, giving her a technical background to address long-standing structural inefficiencies in municipal operations, according to CityWatch LA. Rick Cole, a former deputy Los Angeles mayor who advised Raman throughout the campaign, said that the incoming administration plans a hands-on management approach.

Nithya Raman attends first City Council meeting since election — FOX 11 Los Angeles

“L.A. has been flying blind when it comes to measuring the impacts of the dollars spent.”

said Rick Cole, a Pasadena City Council member.

As mayor, Raman will have the authority to appoint and remove hundreds of citizen commissioners and agency managers. She plans to let City Controller Kenneth Mejia audit every dollar of city spending on homelessness, potentially overhauling how the city handles encampment cleanups and temporary housing, the Los Angeles Times reported.

L.A. City Councilmember Nithya Raman in September — Photo: latimes.com

Public safety policy remains one of the more contentious areas of the incoming administration. Raman has promised to replace Police Chief Jim McDonnell, arguing he has lost the public trust, though her timeline for doing so varied during the campaign, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Once sworn in, the new mayor will immediately face high-stakes salary negotiations with the Los Angeles Police Protective League. The union previously funded an expensive campaign against her after she opposed their last contract package of raises and retention bonuses, which she argued bankrupted the city and forced cuts to other municipal services, according to the Los Angeles Times.