Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and and City Councilmember Nithya Raman face off in the Nov. 3 election, four years after Bass became the city’s first female mayor. It is the first time two women are running against each other in the general election for Los Angeles Mayor.
Bass, a former congresswoman and California Assembly Speaker, is seeking a second term. Raman was first elected to the City Council in 2020 and represents Council District 4, which runs from portions of Reseda and Encino through Sherman Oaks and the Hollywood Hills to Los Feliz and Silver Lake. Bass endorsed Raman for City Council in 2024, and Raman endorsed Bass earlier in 2026 before entering the race. Both candidates are Democrats.
Both Bass and Raman were in office on Oct. 7, 2023, and both issued statements. Bass said, “I join voices across the nation condemning this horrific attack on Israel. The Los Angeles region has the second largest Jewish population outside of Israel and many families are anxiously awaiting developments as they unfold. My thoughts are with those families this morning. Angelenos stand with those under siege mourning loss. May their memories be a blessing.”
Raman also issued a statement that day: “Our district is home to beautiful Israeli and Jewish-American communities, and so many who have family in Israel. I cannot imagine the terror they are experiencing. I stand with them in condemning the horrific violence by Hamas and praying for a peaceful end to this conflict.”
Three years later, Bass and Raman each separately took questions on issues facing Los Angeles and its Jewish community in a Sept. 29 Jewish Los Angeles Mayoral Forum at the Skirball Cultural Center.
Here is an overview of their responses on several issues.
“Genocide” designation:
The candidates disagreed over the use of the word “genocide” to describe Israel’s military actions in Gaza. Raman had used the term to describe Gaza. Asked why, Raman said, “I have used that term and I’m not an expert on these issues. And so I have looked to experts on these issues, international experts, Israeli experts … that is what guided me in using that term in describing what’s happening in Gaza.”
Antisemitism and Jewish Community Security:
The Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations documented 202 anti-Jewish hate crimes in 2024, about 80% of religiously motivated hate crimes reported in the county.
Bass pointed to LAPD patrols near houses of worship during holidays and periods when protests could affect access and safety. “I formed a Jewish community safety working group. I’ve established an interfaith task force. We meet regularly,” Bass said. Raman said antisemitism came from the political left and right, adding, “I never want progressive politics to be conflated with antisemitism.” Raman said she would work with Jewish organizations and expressed concern that the city’s security practices depended too much on the officer involved.
Safe Worship Zone Act:
Both candidates discussed AB 2664, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed at Wilshire Boulevard Temple on Sept. 25. Effective Jan. 1, 2027, the law restricts certain nonconsensual approaches within eight feet of worshippers in a 100-foot zone around house-of-worship entrances and exits, with misdemeanor penalties.
Bass said her administration had considered local legislation before deferring to the state effort. She pledged to bring the Jewish Community Safety Working Group and Interfaith Council together to plan LAPD implementation. Raman said, “So right now we have, I believe, one individual within LAPD who is the coordinator for a lot of issues relating to the Jewish community.”
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS):
Raman said the BDS movement was “a legitimate form of peaceful protest” and defended the right to demonstrate even when she disagreed with protesters. Raman qualified that position, saying, “this issue is not part of my policy platform.” Raman also raised legal and fiduciary limits on how city investments can be used. Bass was asked whether she would support city divestment from companies doing business in Israel or with ties to Israel. “I would oppose that.”
Police staffing:
Bass said Los Angeles has roughly 8,500 to 8,600 sworn LAPD officers and that the number is insufficient for a city preparing for the 2028 Olympics. Raman supports maintaining the department’s current size while improving hiring and expanding unarmed response teams to handle calls involving homelessness or mental-health crises.
Homelessness and Inside Safe:
The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) estimated 45,194 people are homeless in the city in 2026, an increase of 3.4% from 2025. Unsheltered homelessness rose 7.9%; LAHSA said the year-over-year changes were not statistically significant.
Bass credits Inside Safe, which moves people from encampments into temporary accommodations, with reducing street homelessness over parts of her administration. Raman alleged that Inside Safe cost $80,000 to $100,000 per person per year and said, “There has been no adaptation.”
Bass challenged Raman’s account and her former role as chair of the City Council’s Housing and Homelessness Committee, saying, “every dollar that was spent on Inside Safe was approved by you.”
Housing and Affordability:
Both candidates support additional housing construction but disagree over how effective city policy has been. Bass said her Executive Directive 1 had fast-tracked 47,000 housing units through the approval process. Those units are not necessarily completed homes.
Raman proposed deadlines for city responses to multifamily housing applications and supports changing Measure ULA, the transfer tax on high-value property sales used for housing, and tenant protections. Raman supported the tax when it passed but said she reconsidered its effect on building after reviewing data. “We need to reform it because this issue matters too much to voters,” Raman said.
2025 Los Angeles Fires and Emergency Management:
Bass was in Ghana when the January 2025 Palisades fire began, and was severely criticized for her absence as the fires broke out. The wildfires killed 30 people and destroyed over 16,000 structures. “I am so profoundly sorry that I was not in my city when my city needed me,” Bass said at the Oct. 13 debate. Bass cited expedited rebuilding procedures and said approximately 1,000 homes were under construction.
Raman criticized fire preparations and the administration’s response. Raman said that roughly 60,000 people in her district were evacuated during the Palisades and Sunset fires and that residents had repeatedly asked, “Where is our mayor? Where is our mayor?” Raman proposed a dedicated leader in the mayor’s office to advocate for Palisades rebuilding.
Bass said the city could now respond to another catastrophic wildfire; Raman was less certain: “I hope we are ready.” Moderators said nearly 100 fire engines were overdue for replacement. Both candidates support Measure FD, a proposed sales-tax increase to fund fire prevention and suppression.
Recent Polls:
A UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies/Los Angeles Times poll conducted Sept.15–20 found 39% of likely voters supporting Raman and 28% supporting Bass, with 33% undecided. A Manhattan Institute survey released Oct. 9 found Raman at 38%, Bass at 32% and 30% undecided.
In the June primary, Bass received 34.27% of the vote, followed by Raman with 29.02%. Spencer Pratt finished third with 25.53%. With no candidate receiving a majority, Bass and Raman advanced to the general election.
