Nithya Raman defeats Karen Bass in Los Angeles mayor upset
Why it matters: The City Hall shift follows backlash over wildfire response and puts housing and homelessness at the center of LA politics.
Nithya Raman defeated incumbent Karen Bass in the Los Angeles mayoral race, delivering a major upset in the second-largest US city. Bass conceded Thursday after a closely fought contest shaped by frustration over homelessness, housing costs and the city’s response to the 2025 fires.
Raman, a Los Angeles City Council member first elected in 2020, campaigned as a democratic socialist-backed candidate promising more affordable housing, better transit and protections for residents facing immigration enforcement. Bass, a former member of Congress and the city’s first woman mayor, faced criticism after the January 2025 Palisades fire and the Eaton fire, which together killed 31 people and destroyed more than 16,000 structures.