Raman vows she wont block homeless camping bans as mayor, then votes to block one on LAs Westside

Los Angeles mayoral hopeful Nithya Raman voted against banning homeless encampments at six Westside locations, despite promising voters she wouldn’t block fellow councilmembers from imposing such restrictions if elected mayor.The city councilwoman opposed a proposal from Westside Councilwoman Traci Park last week to crack down on camping at parks, beach dunes and pedestrian tunnels, days before Raman faces Mayor Karen Bass in the Nov.3 election.The measure passed 11–4, with Raman among the four councilmembers who voted against it.“When I’m mayor, if the council wants to create new [no camping] zones, I’m not going to stand in the way,” Raman told an audience in May, according to the Los Angeles Times.Park blasted Raman’s latest vote.“Once again, Nithya Raman voted against my efforts to protect our kids and public spaces from dangerous encampments,” Park told The California Post.

“Her voting record speaks louder than her campaign promises.”Former Los Angeles Councilman Joe Buscaino, a former LAPD officer who helped shape the city’s anti-camping law and fought to expand restrictions near schools and libraries, defended the measure as a critical tool for protecting neighborhoods.“I helped write 41.18 because parents asked us to keep encampments away from schools, beaches and libraries,” Buscaino told The Post.“It works because it lets each councilmember decide what’s right for their community.The best way to govern as mayor is to trust councilmembers and give them real tools to address quality of life concerns, not stand in their way.”The Los Angeles Police Protective League, which represents rank-and-file LAPD officers, also unloaded on Raman.“Nithya Raman must love the Britney Spears song, Oops!… I Did It Again, because this week she once again voted to allow dangerous homeless camps near sensitive locations throughout West Los Angeles,” the union told The Post.The union said Raman was running a “say-anything-to-get-elected...