Mayor Raman Is Taking Over LA28

Councilmember Nithya Raman won the 2026 Los Angeles mayoral election over incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, securing approximately 54.5% of the vote. The race was called after Bass conceded on November 5, with Raman holding a lead of nearly 95,000 votes as election officials processed the final ballots.

The outcome marks the defeat of an incumbent Los Angeles mayor after a single term, establishing a policy realignment at City Hall. Raman will assume office as incoming mayor on December 14, 2026. She inherits a municipal administration preparing for the 2028 Summer Olympics while facing persistent housing affordability challenges.

Raman is an urban planner who earned degrees from Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She ran on a platform focused on zoning reform, tenant protections, and social-first homelessness interventions. Her approach contrasts with Bass’s platform, which emphasized law enforcement expansion and traditional establishment governance during her tenure.

Raman co-founded the SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition before her 2020 election to the City Council representing District 4. While serving on the council, she authored the 2025 update to the Rent Stabilization Ordinance. That legislation capped annual rent increases for rent-stabilized apartments at four percent.

Her housing platform centers on waiving site plan reviews for affordable developments and tripling annual housing construction. She also proposes establishing a dedicated Office of Tenant Protections.

Bass focused her campaign on reducing street homelessness through her Inside Safe program. Bass also highlighted higher targets for police hiring. Raman criticized Inside Safe for high per-unit costs. She proposes shifting city funding toward short-term rental vouchers and street medicine teams.

A major administrative change under the incoming administration involves the leadership of the Los Angeles Police Department. Raman pledged during her campaign to remove LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell. Bass appointed McDonnell in October 2024 to a five-year term through 2029.

For Long Beach residents, McDonnell is a familiar civic figure. He served as Chief of Police for the Long Beach Police Department for several years. He later served as Los Angeles County Sheriff and still lives in East Long Beach.

Raman’s pledge to replace McDonnell follows criticisms regarding his handling of anti-ICE demonstrations and public campaign disputes. Removing McDonnell requires following the municipal charter. Under Section 575 of the Los Angeles City Charter, the civilian Board of Police Commissioners must act to remove a police chief before a term ends.

The City Council may review that decision under Section 245. Raman’s platform calls for an LAPD chief committed to sanctuary city policies. She also advocates expanding unarmed crisis response units and auditing police cooperation with federal immigration agencies.

City preparations for the 2028 Summer Olympics will undergo a shift under the Raman administration. Raman has expressed skepticism about the financial terms and municipal liabilities tied to the Games.

In previous statements, she stated that she never wanted the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. She expressed concerns over city cost overruns, resident displacement, and increased policing. Her critical view contrasts with Bass’s approach. Bass sought federal subsidies while maintaining alignment with the Olympic Organizing Committee.

Raman plans to alter city preparations by prioritizing baseline city infrastructure over specialized event venues. She intends to use the 2028 Games as a hard deadline to complete local infrastructure.

Her target goals include installing 600 new bus shelters, planting 100,000 street trees, and achieving a 50 percent reduction in unsheltered homelessness. Rather than spending city funds on temporary event facilities, Raman plans to require private organizers to absorb operational costs.

Raman assumes the mayoralty while facing an isolated position in the legislative branch. During the election, only one person on the city council favored Raman, while the rest of the 15-member body firmly backed Bass.

Even progressive council members who shared portions of Raman’s platform endorsed the incumbent mayor. City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson previously removed Raman as chair of the Housing and Homelessness Committee after she entered the mayoral race.

Raman’s electoral victory was built by a coalition of labor unions, tenant organizers, and transit advocacy groups. UNITE HERE Local 11, which represents hotel and hospitality workers, endorsed Raman after breaking with Bass over wage policies for hotel workers.

Additional labor backing came from the SEIU 121RN Nurse Alliance and the Writers Guild of America West. Transit and housing political action committees, including Streets for All and Abundant Housing LA, organized voter outreach centered on zoning reform and public transit.

Polling data showed voter shifts among renters and younger residents, counteracting Bass’s support from business associations and traditional political figures.

Raman has proposed a full audit of the Department of Water and Power to address rising utility bills. She has also called for neighborhood emergency hubs and faster local water-capture projects.

In housing policy, Raman advocates for social housing models, expanding small-lot development, and implementing a single-portal permitting system to reduce construction delays. On street safety, her platform prioritizes Vision Zero mandates, speed camera installation, and dedicated bus-priority corridors.

For any inquiries or further information, please contact Jose Cervantes at JoseC.Press@pm.me