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Nithya Raman says Bass misunderstands mayor’s powers in LA debate
Her comments came during the first face-to-face debate between the two in the Nov. 3 election campaign.
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Staff Reporter - Thu, 20, Aug 2026
- 03:25 EDT
- 202
Nithya Raman / X
Los Angeles City Councilmember and mayoral candidate Nithya Raman has accused Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of failing to use the full authority of her office to advance the interests of city residents, saying she fundamentally misunderstands the power of her position.
Her comments came during the first face-to-face debate between the two in the Nov. 3 election campaign. They debated homelessness, public safety and other issues during the debate.
ALSO READ: Nithya Raman touts housing wins after committee removal
Making a case for her candidacy, Raman said she is one of the 15 council members and has the power only to forward motions.
But the mayor is a more powerful position, as the mayor is the CEO of the city.
“And sometimes when this mayor talks about how much power I have, I feel like she fundamentally misunderstands the power of the mayor’s seat,” she said.
“When you have power, but you don’t use it, it looks like you don’t have that power at all. But this is a powerful mayor. The mayor hires and fires every department head. The mayor sets the priorities for every department. The mayor writes the budget. The mayor signs the contracts,” she said.
The mayor is a powerful figure, and one must use that power to advance the interests of the people of the city.“That’s what I want to do,” she said.
Karen Bass fundamentally misunderstands the power of the mayor’s seat. pic.twitter.com/9rlDTtOMMM
— Nithya Raman (@nithyavraman) August 20, 2026
She said Bass had been mayor for four years and the results had not changed.
“The results are visible on our streets. The evidence is very clear,” she said about homelessness.
“In my district, homelessness has gone down because of our relentless focus on it. I do not want people sleeping on the streets,” she said, adding that making this happen requires action, leadership, management, data and oversight.
“That’s what’s missing in City Hall right now, citywide. We can make the progress that you deserve, but we need the leadership to make it. That is why I’m running for mayor,” she said.
She said there has been a drop in all essential services citywide, including broken streetlights, potholes and sidewalks.
“... more broken than we’ve ever had,” she said.
“We saw street homelessness go up citywide under this mayor’s leadership,” she said.
She asked voters to make their decision in the election based on these facts.
“Two-thirds of primary voters said no to this incumbent mayor because they see the evidence in front of their eyes,” she said.
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