In L.A., as in other U.S. cities, democratic socialists are poised to expand power at City Hall

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Democratic socialists are looking to extend their power in Los Angeles City Hall this fall with their biggest prizes yet: mayor and city attorney.Mayoral candidate Nithya Raman and city attorney hopeful Marissa Roy, both members of the Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, are heading into the Nov.3 general election with strong showings in the June 2 primary as tailwinds.If she prevails in November, Raman would join the ranks of democratic socialists leading big U.S.

cities, including New York’s Zohran Mamdani and Seattle’s Katie Wilson.Washington, D.C., looks to be next: Janeese Lewis George won the Democratic primary for mayor there this month, all but ensuring her a general election win in that deep-blue city.

In Los Angeles, a democratic socialist mayor and city attorney could mean added clout because of an ideological lockstep between the two offices, said Fernando Guerra, a political science professor at Loyola Marymount University.In such a scenario, he said, the city attorney’s office is less likely to be a check against the mayor’s authority to set policy on issues such as land use and public safety.“It’s incredibly substantive that the city attorney will interpret much of the policy that the mayor may push to be the right policy, and not challenge it,” Guerra said.The election of Raman and Roy would also underscore the leftward tilt of Los Angeles, which has four City Council members, including Raman, who are DSA members — two of whom were reelected in the primary.

City Controller Kenneth Mejia, who was recommended (although not formally endorsed) by DSA, was also reelected.The DSA champions ideas sharply to the left of more establishment Democrats, such as incumbent L.A.Mayor Karen Bass.

The L.A.DSA chapter, for example, says its objectives include abolishing prisons and defunding the police.

DSA-L.A.co-chair Sean Wakasa said ...