A woman born in Kerala, who moved to the United States at the age of six is now on course to become the mayor of Los Angeles. Nithya Raman, 44, began her political career by defeating a well-funded incumbent with deep ties to the Democratic Party establishment, becoming the first person to oust a sitting LA councillor in 17 years.
Raman has been a Los Angeles City Council member for District 4 since 2020 and entered the mayoral race as a surprise candidate, announcing her bid just before the filing deadline, despite having previously endorsed the incumbent, Mayor Karen Bass. According to NBC News, her background is as unusual as her political rise. An urban planner by training, Raman is the first South Asian and the first Asian woman to serve on Los Angeles City Council.
She holds a bachelor's degree from Harvard University and a master's degree in urban planning from MIT. Before entering politics, she worked with low-income communities in India and later founded a nonprofit focused on homelessness in Los Angeles.
Her campaign is built on two pressing concerns. Speaking at a press conference, Raman said: "When you look at the list of issues in Los Angeles, where do you rank homelessness? I think housing and homelessness are our two biggest issues." She pledged to eliminate homelessness by investing in what works, tracking every pound spent and doing more for mental health services, according to NBC Los Angeles.
Raman has criticised Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass's flagship 'Inside Safe' programme, citing data showing that 40 per cent of participants returned to the streets, describing it as an expensive failure that has left the city without a working system, according to Santa Monica Daily Press.
She has also proposed issuing an executive directive as mayor to speed up housing approvals and develop a citywide self-certification programme to fast-track building permits, according to Time.
In the June primary, Raman overtook reality television personality Spencer Pratt for second place, securing around 27.1 per cent of the vote. She is now projected to face Bass in a November runoff.
According to NBC Los Angeles, the race remains competitive, with Bass holding a modest lead in some polls though Raman has pulled ahead in others. Time magazine notes that she has drawn comparisons to other progressive insurgent candidates who have upended established political machines in major American cities.
If she wins in November, Raman would make history as Los Angeles's first Indian-origin and first South Asian mayor.
