Nithya Raman Defeats Incumbent Karen Bass in Los Angeles Mayoral Race

Nithya Raman won the Los Angeles mayoral election, defeating incumbent Karen Bass to become the city's first South Asian and first Indian-American mayor.

Bass conceded defeat and pledged a smooth transition, becoming the first Los Angeles mayor in two decades to lose a re-election bid. Bass's single term faced scrutiny following the Palisades Fire, which started while she was out of the country. Raman, an urban planner and City Council member first elected in 2020 and re-elected in 2024, entered the mayoral race shortly before the filing deadline after initially supporting Bass, drawing criticism from Democratic establishment figures who backed the incumbent.

Raman's campaign centered on housing supply, homelessness, street infrastructure, and structural policing reforms. In campaign materials, Raman pledged to cut tents and encampments in half by the time Los Angeles hosts the Olympic Games and to house everyone living in encampments by the end of her first term. More than 40,000 people currently experience homelessness in Los Angeles.

During the most recent accounting period, citywide homelessness rose slightly while declining in Raman's council district. Los Angeles retains the highest ratio of home prices to household income among large American cities and has the second fewest homes per adult among major cities. Her victory drew public congratulations from international figures, including Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan, who noted her roots in Thrissur, Kerala.