Nithya Raman

Nithya Raman
Official portrait, 2022
Assistant President pro tempore
of the Los Angeles City Council
In office
January 28, 2025 – April 14, 2026
Preceded byBob Blumenfield
Succeeded byJohn Lee
Member of the Los Angeles City Council
from the 4th district
Assumed office
December 14, 2020
Preceded byDavid Ryu
Personal details
Born (1981-07-28) July 28, 1981 (age 45)
Kerala, India
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Vali Chandrasekaran
Children2
EducationHarvard University (AB)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MCP)
Signature
WebsiteCampaign website

Nithya V. Raman (born July 28, 1981) is an Indian-born American urban planner, activist, and politician who has been the Los Angeles city councilmember for the 4th district since 2020. Raman is a member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of America.

Raman is running for mayor of Los Angeles in the 2026 election against Mayor Karen Bass. Raman beat reality television personality Spencer Pratt for second place, meaning she will face Bass in the November general election.

Early life

Nithya Raman was born in Kerala, India on July 28, 1981. Raman went to Harvard University and earned a bachelor's degree in Social Studies in 2003. Raman later went to MIT and earned a master's degree in urban planning in 2008. Raman became a naturalized American citizen at the age of 22.

Community service

After living in the United States for many years, Raman returned to India and founded the research firm Transparent Chennai. The firm's goal was to fix the sanitation in the city of Chennai.

In 2013, Raman moved to Los Angeles and worked for the city administrative officer of Los Angeles. In 2017, Raman founded and headed SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition, a non-profit organization to help the homelessness problem in Los Angeles. She also was the executive director of Time's Up Entertainment.

Los Angeles City Council

In 2019, Raman announced her candidacy for Los Angeles City Council's 4th District against incumbent council member David Ryu. Raman's candidacy was supported by a "volunteer army" of grassroots canvassers who knocked over 83,000 doors.

Raman in 2023

Raman's campaign supported reforms to Los Angeles' housing and homelessness policy and a climate change plan that she claims will get Los Angeles to carbon neutrality by 2030. She has signed the Participatory Budget Pledge, a plan put forward by Black Lives Matter LA which expresses a commitment to "holding a participatory budgeting process each budget cycle I hold elected office."

In the March 2020 primary, Ryu received 32,298 votes (44.4%) and Raman 31,502 votes (40.8%). Raman and Ryu advanced to the November 2020 runoff election, in which Raman won 70,317 votes (52.9%) and Ryu 62,682 votes (47.1%). Raman's victory was called a "political earthquake" by the Los Angeles Times. Raman's victory over Ryu was the first time in 17 years that a challenger beat an incumbent Los Angeles city councilmember. It was also the most votes of any winning city councilor in the city's history.

In 2021, there were attempts to recall Raman, but it was not successful.

A leaked recording between Council President Nury Martinez, Councilmembers Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo, as well as Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera revealed the group's plan to use redistricting to remove Raman. Speaking of Raman, Cedillo said that "There's certain people who don't merit us rescuing them...She's not our ally, she's not going to help us" and de León proposed to put her district "in a blender, chop it up left or right." After the conversation was leaked, Raman introduced a measure to ask voters to change the city rules so that redistricting would be handled by an independent commission.

Raman won her re-election in the primary in March 2024, skipping a November runoff by winning 50.6% of the vote.

2026 mayoral campaign

Raman and Mayor Karen Bass in 2023

On February 7, 2026, Raman announced that she would run for mayor of Los Angeles against incumbent Karen Bass in the 2026 mayoral election. Many were surprised by her announcement since Raman had supported Bass in her re-election campaign.

Raman's campaign focused on making more homes in Los Angeles, improving city services, and fixing Los Angeles's movie business. Raman said that Bass was not doing enough to make more movies in Los Angeles.

In June 2026, Raman advanced to the run off against Bass in November after Raman came in second place.

Personal life

Raman lives in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles. She is married to television screenwriter Vali Chandrasekaran. The two have twins, a son and a daughter. Raman is a practicing Hindu.

References

  1. ↑ Lerno, Tina (March 30, 2021). "The Women of the Los Angeles City Council: Part Five". Los Angeles Public Library. Archived from the original on November 30, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  2. ↑ ""The System That We Have to Respond to Homelessness Is Not One That Was Designed to Help People."". jacobinmag.com. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
  3. ↑ "He ran as a City Hall reformer. His rivals say he's fallen short on homelessness". Los Angeles Times. January 27, 2020.
  4. ↑ Stein, Jeff (August 5, 2017). "9 questions about the Democratic Socialists of America you were too embarrassed to ask". Vox. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  5. ↑ Cowan, Jill; Hubler, Shawn (February 7, 2026). "Rising Progressive Star Shakes Up Race for Los Angeles Mayor". New York Times. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  6. 1 2 "Los Angeles, CA Mayor election results". Associated Press. Retrieved 2026-06-08.
  7. ↑ "Nithya Raman will advance over Spencer Pratt to face Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in November, CNN projects". CNN. Retrieved 2026-06-08.
  8. ↑ Raman, Nithya Varsha (2003). Political party choice in Tamil Nadu [Unpublished undergraduate honors thesis in Social Studies]. Harvard University.
  9. ↑ https://dusp.mit.edu/news/congratulations-class-2021#:~:text=The%20commencement%20keynote%20speaker%20was%20DUSP%20Alumna%20Nithya%20Raman%20(MCP%20%E2%80%9908)
  10. ↑ Specter, Emma (October 29, 2020). "Meet Nithya Raman, the L.A. City Council Candidate Who Is Trying to Solve the City's Homelessness Crisis". Vogue. Archived from the original on June 8, 2026. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Voting Ends Tomorrow!". Los Angeles City Council District 4. Archived from the original on June 24, 2025. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  12. ↑ Pinheiro, Erin Hickey (30 January 2020). "Who's Running Against Ryu? Nithya Raman". Los Feliz Ledger. Archived from the original on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  13. ↑ "'അഭിമാനം ഈ പെൺകൊടികൾ'; ഒരാഴ്ചയ്ക്കിടെ ലോകമാധ്യമങ്ങളുടെ തലക്കെട്ടിൽ നിറഞ്ഞ മൂന്ന് മലയാളി വനിതകൾ". News18 (in Malayalam). November 12, 2020.
  14. ↑ Hipes, Patrick (August 15, 2019). "Time's Up Entertainment Executive Director Nithya Raman Exits Post". Deadline. Archived from the original on August 16, 2019. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
  15. ↑ Regardie, Jon (October 13, 2020). "Nithya Raman and David Ryu Face Off in Council District 4". Los Angeles Magazine. Archived from the original on December 6, 2025. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
  16. ↑ Regardie, Jon (Fall 2025). "From L.A. to N.Y.: How L.A. politics shaped the New York mayor's race". UCLA Blueprint. Archived from the original on November 3, 2025. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Housing and Homelessness Platform". Nithya for the City. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  18. ↑ "A New Approach to Public Safety in LA". Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  19. ↑ Raman, Nithya. "What Future Are We Building in LA?". Nithya For the City. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  20. ↑ "Participatory Budget Pledge". 6 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  21. ↑ "Official LA County vote tally" (PDF). Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder / County Clerk. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  22. ↑ "Election Results". LAVote. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Nithya Raman inspires progressives as she holds significant lead in L.A. council race". Los Angeles Times. 2020-11-05. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
  24. ↑ Zahniser, David (November 6, 2020). "Urban planner Nithya Raman unseats Los Angeles City Councilman David Ryu". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
  25. ↑ Wick, Julia (June 30, 2024). "Nithya Raman, Eunisses Hernandez and Hugo Soto-Martínez: Incumbent-busters". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Raman recall moving forward". The Eastsider. June 11, 2021.
  27. ↑ Zahniser, David (17 September 2021). "Recall bid targeting L.A. City Councilwoman Nithya Raman collapses". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  28. ↑ "'This commission has f—ing gone rogue'". Los Angeles Times. October 10, 2022. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  29. ↑ Cowan, Jill; Hubler, Shawn (October 12, 2022). "Los Angeles City Councilwoman Resigns Amid Uproar Over Racist Remarks". New York Times. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  30. ↑ Chiotakis, Steve (October 12, 2022). "Nithya Raman wants to stop self-interested political manipulation". KCRW. Archived from the original on October 13, 2022. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  31. ↑ Zahniser, David (12 March 2024). "L.A. City Councilmember Nithya Raman wins reelection as Ethan Weaver concedes". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  32. ↑ "Bass helped Raman win reelection. Now Raman wants to unseat her. Some call it 'a betrayal'". Los Angeles Times. 15 February 2026. Archived from the original on 17 February 2026. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
  33. ↑ Schrank, Aaron (2026-04-08). "LA mayoral candidate Raman proposes homelessness plan that includes scaling back Inside Safe". LAist. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
  34. ↑ X (2025-08-28). "After lengthy delay, Mayor Bass names new film liaison for Los Angeles". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
  35. ↑ Baum, Gary (2026-04-24). "Hollywood Supported L.A. Mayoral Candidate Nithya Raman. Has She Returned the Favor?". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
  36. ↑ "Los Angeles, CA Mayor election results". Associated Press. Retrieved 2026-06-08.
  37. ↑ "Nithya Raman will advance over Spencer Pratt to face Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in November, CNN projects". CNN. Retrieved 2026-06-08.
  38. ↑ Raghunathan, Nimmi (December 11, 2020). "Nithya Raman: An Indian American Progressive Makes History in Los Angeles". India West. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  39. ↑ Cowan, Jill (June 2, 2026). "Nithya Raman Makes Late-Minute Entry Into L.A. Mayor's Race". The New York Times. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
  40. ↑ Keene, Louis (2026-02-19). "She's a democratic socialist who affirmed Israel's right to exist. Can she be LA's next mayor?". The Forward. Retrieved 2026-06-13.

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