Mayor Karen Bass and challenger Nithya Raman tussle in first head-to-head debate
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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and City Councilmember Nithya Raman faced off Tuesday in a freewheeling 90-minute slugfest, digging at each other over homelessness, police hiring and other major issues.The event, hosted by the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn., began politely enough, with the two candidates exchanging niceties and Raman saying she had “incredible respect” for the mayor.But the gloves came off quickly.Raman said she ran for office out of frustration with the city’s lack of progress on an array of issues — homelessness, housing production and the city’s continuing financial woes, among others.“I feel an urgency and a vision to change and address those issues that I don’t feel is reflected in our leadership right now,” she said.Bass pushed back hard at Raman, pointing out that the council member had been at City Hall two years longer than the mayor.
She also noted that Raman served until recently in council leadership and spent three years in charge of the powerful committee charged with homelessness and housing issues.“For you to act as if you’re brand new, or you’ve been on the outside for almost six years, is not accurate,” Bass said.Raman said she is just one out of 15 council members and lacks the power that Bass wields.“The mayor is in charge of the departments.
The mayor is the leader of the city,” she said.Bass and Raman were generally viewed as allies until February, when Raman jumped into the race at the last minute.Bass had campaigned for Raman in 2024, when the council member was facing a tough reelection fight.
Raman, in turn, was a Bass supporter two years earlier, when she faced real estate developer Rick Caruso.Raman and Bass will square off again Wednesday, during a televised debate from the Skirball Cultural Center hosted by NBC4 and Telemundo 52 starting at 5 pm.That event will feature another major candidate: reality telev...