Raman Pledges Cooperation With Los Angeles Council
Nithya Raman returned to the Los Angeles City Council on November 10 for her first meeting since winning the mayoral election. Council members welcomed her and spoke about their work together and hopes for the city, despite none having endorsed her campaign.
Raman thanked the members present, as well as absent Councilmember Traci Park, saying they had helped her grow as a council member and would help her as mayor. She said disagreements could get “spicy,” but pledged to work through them and seek outcomes that serve the city. She also offered to visit neighborhoods with council members and help them address residents’ concerns through City Hall.
Raman is due to take office on December 14. Her District 4 council seat is set to become vacant at midnight before that day, opening a new contest over who will fill it. Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson said a decision was unlikely for at least a month, citing the council’s coming recess. He said he expected to work with Raman and intends to remain council president.
The new mayor will face pressure over homelessness. The city has 45,194 people experiencing homelessness, including 29,115 without shelter, and Raman has pledged to reduce street homelessness by 50% before the 2028 Olympics. She criticized Mayor Karen Bass’ Inside Safe program during the campaign, but indicated that some version would continue as she works to fill shelter beds and develop her plan.
Raman also said she would work with council members who had supported Bass. Her election victory followed a campaign in which she won 54.7% of the vote, compared with Bass’ 45.3%, in the returns cited on November 9.
Voters’ Choice, Raman Offers City Hall a Path to Work Together
Los Angeles voters chose Nithya Raman as their next mayor, and on November 10 she offered the City Council a practical way forward: work together despite campaign divisions. None of the council members endorsed her, but they welcomed her at her first meeting since the election.
Raman said colleagues from different perspectives shared a commitment to improving the city. She acknowledged that their disputes could become “spicy,” while promising to keep working through them. She also offered to visit neighborhoods with council members and help them navigate City Hall on behalf of constituents.
The stakes are especially high for people without stable housing. Los Angeles has 45,194 people experiencing homelessness, including 29,115 without shelter. Raman has pledged to reduce street homelessness by 50% before the 2028 Olympics. Though she criticized Karen Bass’ Inside Safe program during the campaign, she said some version would continue as her administration works to fill shelter beds and shape a plan.
Raman takes office on December 14. Her District 4 seat will become vacant at midnight before then, setting up a council decision on her replacement. Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson said that decision was unlikely for at least a month, and said he expected to work with Raman.
Raman won 54.7% of the vote, against Bass’ 45.3%. Her promise to cooperate now gives a divided City Hall an opportunity to turn that result into action on the city’s urgent needs.
Raman’s City Hall Pledge Must Meet the Test of Results
Nithya Raman’s friendly reception at the Los Angeles City Council does not settle the harder question facing her administration: whether its plans can deliver results. On November 10, the mayor-elect thanked colleagues who had not endorsed her and promised to work through disagreements, even when debate gets “spicy.”
Raman takes office on December 14, and she will need the council’s cooperation. Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson said he expected their working relationship to continue and intends to stay in his post. Raman’s District 4 seat becomes vacant at midnight before she assumes the mayoralty; Harris-Dawson said a decision on filling it was unlikely for at least a month.
The central test will be homelessness. Los Angeles has 45,194 people experiencing homelessness, 29,115 of them without shelter. Raman has pledged to halve street homelessness by the 2028 Olympics, while criticizing Bass’ Inside Safe program for its spending and effectiveness. She has now indicated that some form of the program will carry on as she seeks to fill shelter beds and devise her approach.
That leaves a consequential balance to strike: a new mayor promising change while retaining part of a program she challenged. Council members’ warm words and Raman’s offer to visit neighborhoods may help build a working partnership, but the city’s homelessness figures make execution the measure residents will care about.
Raman won 54.7% of the vote to Bass’ 45.3%. The election gave her the authority to lead; the coming months will show whether her commitments can produce progress.
Reported by ABC7 Los Angeles, New York Post.
