Nithya Raman reveals the exact moment she decided to stab Karen Bass in the back in LA Mayor bid

Incumbent Mayor Karen Bass’ rival, lefty Councilwoman Nithya Raman, detailed why she decided to run for Los Angeles mayor and no longer back her one-time political ally, whom she endorsed in 2022.“We were just talking about my children, and I have been so frustrated with the direction of things here in Los Angeles,” Raman told KTLA in a wide-ranging interview Tuesday, her first extended sit-down since advancing to the November runoff against Bass.“And I just decided that I couldn’t afford to wait another four years for change to come.If we wanted to see change in Los Angeles, there wasn’t another candidate getting into the race,” she added.

Raman, 44, said she had initially been among the many Angelenos who backed Bass in 2022, but grew increasingly disillusioned with City Hall as residents continued to grapple with soaring living costs, homelessness and deteriorating city services.Bass faced strident criticism for her handling of the deadly 2025 LA wildfires.“Like many voters who supported Mayor Bass, I also had supported her,” Raman said.“I felt an increasing sense of frustration with the direction of things here in Los Angeles.” She added that voters are increasingly worried “about the cost of living, about addressing our homelessness crisis, about delivering basic services.” California's top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.

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Never miss a story “These are the issues that feel urgent for Angelenos and I want to address them urgently,” Raman continued.The self-described agent of change said she decided to jump into the race because she didn’t see anyone else willing to challenge the status quo.“I wanted to push forward and be that candidate of change, who is talking about the issues that I hear about every single day, both on the campaign trail...