Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass conceded defeat to City Councilmember Nithya Raman on Thursday, making Raman the first South Asian to lead the city. Raman ran on a platform of reducing street homelessness by half over two years, removing the police chief, and improving basic city services, describing her approach as 'pothole politics'.
The Associated Press called the race on Thursday, with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder showing Raman leading Bass 429,450 to 394,796, or 52.1 percent to 47.9 percent. Her victory places her alongside New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Washington, D.C., Mayor-elect Janeese Lewis George as part of a wave of democratic socialist leaders in major American cities.
The January 2025 Palisades Fire contributed to Bass's falling approval ratings. Bass was in Ghana for a presidential inauguration when the fire broke out, and roughly two-thirds of voters ultimately disapproved of her performance.
In her concession statement, Bass said she had called Raman to congratulate her and committed to a smooth transition. 'While this is not the outcome we hoped for, the people of Los Angeles have spoken,' Bass said. She highlighted her administration's record on reducing street homelessness by 17 percent and protecting immigrant communities from federal policies.
Raman, an urban planner first elected to the City Council in 2020 with the backing of the Democratic Socialists of America, has vowed to cut street homelessness by half in two years and remove Police Chief Jim McDonnell, whom she argues has lost public confidence. Raman told Axios her approach amounts to 'sewer socialism' or 'pothole politics,' saying, 'I just want government to work for the people.' Raman touted a campaign involving more than 11,000 volunteers knocking on more than 110,000 doors.
In a video statement posted to X, Raman said, 'Thank you to the thousands of people who knocked on doors, sent texts, made phone calls, convinced their neighbors to believe in the promise of this big, beautiful, joyful city that we get to call home.'
The mayor-elect faces a divided City Council, with all but one member having backed Bass. She also inherits a large budget shortfall and the pressure of hosting the 2028 Summer Olympics. The election represented a major setback for Airbnb, which spent more than $4.1 million supporting Bass. Raman opposes loosening short-term rental restrictions ahead of the Games.
Spencer Pratt, the Republican reality TV star who finished third in the primary, wrote on X: 'Nithya did not win. Karen lost. You simply can't destroy a city as much as she did. She played with fire, and she got fired.'
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Raman's win, alongside victories in New York and Washington, D.C., places democratic socialism at the helm of America's biggest cities, turning the movement's campaign promises on housing and policing into a real-world governance test.
- Voter anger over Bass's response to the Palisades Fire demonstrates that disaster preparedness and crisis leadership are now decisive factors in local elections, a dynamic likely to intensify with climate change.
- The failure of Airbnb's multimillion-dollar political strategy signals a potential slowdown in the short-term rental industry's expansion efforts in major markets, with implications for the tourism landscape ahead of the 2028 Olympics.
Background
Raman, 45, immigrated from India as a child and moved to Los Angeles in 2013, where she founded a neighbourhood homeless services coalition and later served as executive director of Time's Up Entertainment. She was elected to the City Council in 2020 with the support of the Democratic Socialists of America, defeating an incumbent. Her decision to run for mayor was a last-minute surprise. She filed on the final day in February 2026, having only weeks earlier endorsed Bass for re-election. Bass, the first woman and first Black woman to serve as mayor of Los Angeles, was a former congresswoman and California Assembly speaker. The January 2025 Palisades Fire destroyed large parts of the city and left Bass politically exposed after she was criticised for being overseas during the disaster. Her approval ratings never recovered, creating the opening for Raman.
Key Perspectives
Mayor-elect Nithya Raman: argues the city needs urgent change, promising to reduce street homelessness by half, improve basic services, and reform the police department. She calls her approach 'pothole politics' focused on making government work.
Outgoing Mayor Karen Bass: defended her record, pointing to reductions in homelessness and her work protecting immigrant communities, but accepted the result and pledged a smooth transition.
Spencer Pratt: the Republican reality TV star who finished third in the primary, said the result was a rejection of Bass's failures, not an endorsement of Raman, and predicted the city will continue to decline.
Airbnb: backed Bass with over $4.1 million in spending but failed to secure a friendly mayor. The company faces an uncertain regulatory environment under the incoming administration.
What to Watch
- Raman's ability to work with a City Council that overwhelmingly opposed her during the campaign, particularly on budget votes and preparing for the 2028 Olympics.
- Her pledge to remove Police Chief Jim McDonnell, given that violent crime has fallen under his tenure.
- Whether the 50% homelessness reduction target is achievable, given it would require a much faster pace than the 17% reduction Bass achieved over four years.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 5 sources: 10 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedNithya Raman defeated Karen Bass in the Los Angeles mayoral race.The Center Square California: “Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman, who was endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America, has been elected mayor of Los Angeles.”
- SupportedBass conceded amid criticism of her response to the Palisades Fire.LAist: “She was out of town when it broke out and was sharply criticized for the Fire Department’s response.”
- SupportedRaman vowed to improve basic city services.LAist: “She also has vowed to improve basic city services like pothole and streetlight repair.”
- SupportedRaman vowed to halve street homelessness within two years.CalMatters: “She has promised to reduce street homelessness in the city by 50% over the next two years.”
- SupportedRaman will be the first South Asian mayor of Los Angeles.The Center Square California: “Raman, who is of Indian descent, will be the city's first South Asian mayor.”
- SupportedRaman told Axios her approach was “sewer socialism” or “pothole politics” and said, “I just want government to work for the people.”Axios: “She told Axios and Noticias Telemundo at Visionarios that her approach amounts to "sewer socialism" or "pothole politics." "I just want government to work for the people," Raman said.”
- SupportedBass said, “While this is not the outcome we hoped for, the people of Los Angeles have spoken.”LAist: ““While this is not the outcome we hoped for, the people of Los Angeles have spoken,” she said.”
- SupportedThe vote count was 429,450 for Raman and 394,796 for Bass, or 52.1% to 47.9%.The Center Square California: “As of Thursday afternoon, Raman had 429,450 votes or 52.1%. Bass had 394,796 or 47.9%.”
- SupportedThe Associated Press called the race for Raman on Thursday.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “The Associated Press called the race for Raman on Thursday, with Raman holding 52 percent of the vote.”
- Partly supportedBass highlighted that her administration had reduced street homelessness by 17% in her concession statement.CalMatters: “Bass, no less committed to solutions in this area, managed to bring down street homelessness about 17% over four years.”
- SupportedThe Palisades Fire contributed to Bass’s falling approval ratings.LAist: “Her popularity plummeted in the wake of the Palisades Fire.”
- Partly supportedPratt’s X post said, “Nithya did not win. Karen lost. You simply can’t destroy a city as much as she did. She played with fire, and she got fired.”The Center Square California: “said in an X post that Nithya did not win. “Karen lost,” said Pratt, a Republican. “You simply can’t destroy a city as much as she did. She played with fire, and she got fired.””