Mayor Karen Bass and rival Nithya Raman square off at contentious rally as final sprint to election day approaches

Mayor Karen Bass and Nithya Raman turned a South Los Angeles campaign forum into a preview of the increasingly bitter fight for City Hall, with the challenger accusing the mayor of wrecking the city’s finances and Bass firing back that Raman simply isn’t telling the truth.Bass and City Council member Raman took turns hammering each other the KBLA Talk 1580 Town Hall and Ballot Forum on Saturday at the SEED School in South LA, hosted by Tavis Smiley, with Election Day just a month away.Raman, who represents the 4th District, argued that basic city services have deteriorated under Bass, pointing to trash, graffiti and potholes.The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.

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In 2023, Mayor Bass led a contract to give LAPD raises that everyone in city hall knew our city simply could not afford,” Raman said.“The police union is now funding her reelection campaign in return for receiving what their own leadership call the ‘the largest raises in LAPD history.”Raman said the contract helped fuel the city’s budget crisis, pointing to a roughly $1 billion deficit and subsequent cuts to city services.Raman also accused Bass of backing away from aggressive housing policies.“On a debate stage with the Sherman Oaks homeowners association, Mayor Bass promised the audience that she would protect their communities by keeping housing out.”Asked why she had turned against a mayor she once supported, Raman said she saw a pattern of what she called politically convenient decision-making at City Hall.She accused Bass of making “politically convenient decisions” instead of “decisions that mattered for Angelenos.”Bass, meanwhile, defended her record on home...