Live chat: Our columnists analyze L.A.'s mayoral debate

This is read by an automated voice.Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.

See more from the L.A.Times in Google Search.

Set us as preferred Ali: The stakes are high for both contenders, yet I wonder how many Angelenos will be watching.It’s surprising the number of otherwise politically aware folks who had no idea the debate was taking place tonight until I mentioned it.Then they were irked to find it airing on network TV: “Who still has cable?!” Apparently, venturing onto Telemundo or NBC’s live feed is a bridge too far.

But it shouldn’t be.Raman is still a mystery to many, even though she’s polling ahead.Tonight, she needs to definitively show who she is beyond The Candidate Who Is Not Karen Bass.

Bass has to defend her record, of course, but also contend with the electorate’s insatiable need for change — even if they know very little about what that change may bring.As for the rest of us? Tune in! The future of L.A.requires your attention.Lopez: Picking up on Gustavo’s framing of the debate as Round 3, we’re talking about two pugilists who used to fight for the same club, more or less, and now enter the ring looking to take each other out.

So it’s personal, and could indeed get nasty.Raman’s job in the debate is a little easier, in some ways.Though I don’t put much stock in polls, she’s ahead on points by virtue of Bass’ high negative rating alone.

And yet, think of the pressure on Raman to seal the deal.If the challenger doesn’t prevail tonight and go on to win the election next month, she could be setting herself up for a lonely political future, having alienated more than a few former allies in her quest to evict the mayor from City Hall.For Bass, the stakes are just as high.A 21-year political career is on the line.I hope that along with the punches and counter-punches, we get some inspiration, too, and a workable game plan for making a great but troubled city a better place to call home, even if the Do...