USAupdated 1h ago3 min read
Archive photo · 27 May 2017Nithya Raman Defeats Karen Bass to Become Los Angeles’s First Democratic Socialist Mayor
“Raman, however, did not campaign unabashedly as a socialist.”
“DSA support was significant for Raman, and meant that a large network of volunteers canvassed for her”
Photo: Daniel L. Lu (user:dllu), CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cropped for layout
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Raman defeats Bass to become Los Angeles mayor. Raman, DSA-backed, becomes LA's first democratic socialist mayor.
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Raman defeats Bass
Nithya Raman defeated incumbent Mayor Karen Bass to become the next mayor of Los Angeles, with Raman backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, and the Associated Press described the result as an upset that would alter the trajectory of the nation's second-largest city. Raman promised to "build housing that people can afford, parks for our children to play in, a transit system that can get people where they need to go, a city that is safe for its working people and its families, and a city government that is actually capable of delivering on its promises." Karen Bass called the loss a defeat "not the outcome we hoped for," and she said she had "committed to ensuring a smooth and seamless transition."
Raman declared victory on Thursday over Bass and framed her win as Los Angeles's first democratic socialist mayor, while also describing internal pressure from the national Democratic Socialists of America over her stances on Israel and Palestine. Raman, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, defeated Bass and will take office in December for the roughly 4 million residents of Los Angeles proper.
DSA pressure and left debate
The national DSA threatened to override the local chapter and rescind the endorsement over concerns around Raman's stances on Israel and Palestine, even as Raman ran as an endorsed member of the Democratic Socialists of America’s Los Angeles chapter. Kris Rehl, who volunteered for Raman during her 2020 city council run and now runs the mutual aid group LA Street Care, said, "I don’t think Nithya Raman is accountable to anyone in the movement," and he added, "If you do not subscribe to any ideology, you can’t be held accountable to it." Raman prevailed over Bass to become the next mayor and described her as the first democratic socialist to serve on the Los Angeles city council, while also calling the win a major shake-up for the progressive wing of the party.
Raman focused on what’s wrong with the city and cited her talk of filling potholes, fixing street lights, and making roads safer for pedestrians and cyclists, rather than making sweeping socialist promises like free public transit or universal childcare. DSA support was significant for Raman and volunteers knocked on more than 110,000 doors during the lead up to the election.
What comes next
Raman said her approach would expand medical teams for people who live in encampments and on the streets, and she promised to build trust and eventually bring people indoors. Raman also said her plans could reduce the number of people sleeping in tents and encampments by at least half by 2028, when the city will host the Olympic Games, according to the Associated Press. Raman would face scrutiny from LA’s progressive left on issues including bloated police department spending amounting to roughly a quarter of the city’s nearly $15 billion budget, fear of collaboration between ICE and law enforcement agencies, and rising homelessness.
Voters elected seven DSA-backed or affiliated candidates to the House, including Claire Valdez, Brand Lander, and Darializa Avila Chevalier of New York, Chris Rabb of Pennsylvania, Melat Kiros of Colorado, Donavan McKinney of Michigan, and Angela Gonzales-Torres of California. Raman would join a list of socialist mayors that included Zohran Mamdani in New York, Seattle’s Katie Wilson, and Janeese Lewis George in Washington, D.C., who won in a landslide this week.