The Brief

Many of us go into the holiday season with the best of intentions. We want to see holiday lights, enjoy hot chocolate, maybe taking in a Christmas tree lighting or a Menorah lighting, catch a performance of The Nutcracker and A Christmas Carol. Enjoy a holiday sing along. Tie on some ice skates at an outdoor pop-up rink... But somehow, each holiday season slips away and we lament all that we missed.

This year is going to be different! We're compiling a list of our favorite classic L.A. holiday experiences, and we need your help. Did we miss your favorite thing to do with relatives who are in from out of town? (Or, ahem, your favorite thing to do to get away from relatives who are in from out of town?)

Let us know at the bottom of this story, and we may include it. We especially want to know about free things to do this holiday season.

Now, let's make this a holiday to remember.

1. Lightscape at the Arboretum

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Lightscape L.A.

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Light. Color. Sound. All around. Lightscape at the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden in Arcadia is a wildly popular after-dark installation made for our TiKTok and IG world: Paths and vistas are lined with lights in the most mesmerizing ways, merging nature and art. Food trucks and a full bar nightly. Intrigued? Do not dilly-dally. If you want tickets to this event, especially if you are looking for a particular night or are going with a group, snap them up asap. Our highly placed sources say that Santa will also be in attendance on certain nights, so plan according. Runs through Jan. 2. Tickets start at $29 for adults and $14 for children, depending upon which day you go. There is a discount for members. Kids 2 and under are free.

2. Debbie Allen's Hot Chocolate Nutcracker

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Courtesy Debbie Allen Dance Academy

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Actress-singer-dancer-choreographer Debbie Allen's dance academy is legendary for its take on the holidays with her annual Hot Chocolate Nutcracker at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center: The classic is reenvisioned as a modern musical, with three wise-cracking mice from New York City ("The Real Rat Pack") to guide this frolicking new adventure. Runs Dec. 7 through Dec. 10. There are also two special performances for a Fairy Queen Tea, Dec. 9th and 10th, featuring a catered tea, hot cocoa bar and a cast member meet & greet. For pregaming, you can watch the Netflix documentary about Allen's labor of love and devotion, Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker. Tickets run $50 to $135.

3. Union Station Holiday Tree Lighting (Free!)

The annual tree lighting at one of L.A.'s most iconic and recognizable destinations — Union Station — is taking place tonight, Monday Nov. 20, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on the south patio. There are reports that special guests from the North Pole will take part in the countdown to the lighting of the 30-foot tree, and there will be hot cocoa and other sweet treats in abundance and live performances by Mariachi Los Servidores and The Beverly Belles. Can't make it tonight? The lights will be up through the holiday season, so make time to stop by and take some selfies. (Next year's holiday card, perhaps?)

4. 'Home Alone' in concert at The Phil

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Courtesy of Fox Family Entertainment via YouTube

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The LA Phil’s Deck the Hall holiday concert series presents three nights of the 1990 comedy Home Alone with Macaulay Culkin as an 8-year-old accidentally left home by his family during the holidays. Screening Wednesday, Dec. 20 to Friday, Dec. 22 at 8 p.m. at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the score is performed live by the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, conducted by David Newman. Tickets: $74 - $219. Arrive earlier, at 7 p.m., and you can partake in an ugly sweater contest and trivia contest.

5. Holiday Sing-Along at The Phil ... and more

Also at Disney Hall: There's A Chanticleer Christmas, on Dec. 13 at 8 p.m., featuring the Grammy-winning ensemble for an evening of a cappella choral music (tickets available at last check ranged from $49 to $119).

The Walt Disney Concert Hall's famous organ, a choir, a jazz combo and you! Those are the stars of a beloved holiday tradition, the Holiday Sing-Along, where everyone gets the lyrics to holiday songs and carols and are expected to sing at the top of their lungs. Takes place on Saturday, Dec. 16, at 11:30 a.m. and then again at 2:30 p.m. At last check, available tickets ranged from $39 to $109. Arrive early for hot cocoa, holiday crafting and a picture with Santa.

And check out Arturo Sandoval's Swinging Holiday concert on Dec. 23 at 8 p.m. (tickets available at last check ranged from $54 to $134), with the Grammy winning legend putting a "jumping, jiving, jingling" twist on holiday favorites.

6. Las Posadas at Olvera Street (Free!)

This is a quaint L.A. tradition that dates back to 1930: Each evening sees the reenactment of the Biblical journal of Mary and Joseph as they head to Bethlehem to seek shelter. (You don’t have to be Christian or Catholic to enjoy, all are welcome.) Expect traditional Christmas songs in Spanish, music and colorful costumes. The procession begins and ends at Avila Adobe, considered the oldest house in all of Los Angeles. Visitors can also enjoy a cup of hot champurrado and pan dulce. The festivities begin at 6:30 p.m. nightly with a pinata party for children aged 3-12, the procession follows at 7:15 p.m. Dec. 16 through Dec. 24.

7. Enchanted Forest of Light at Descanso Gardens

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Courtesy of Descanso Gardens via Facebook

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Descanso Gardens’ Enchanted Forest of Light in La Cañada Flintridge is an interactive, nighttime experience that’s great for families or romantic outings. Take a one-mile walk through lighting experiences in the garden and take in sights such as an entire town of magical “stained glass” creations by contemporary sculptor Tom Fruin and sparkling geometric installations from HYBYCOZO in the Rose Garden. Enchanted Forest of Light is open nightly from 5:30 to 10 p.m. through Jan. 7. Tickets run $25 to $45, with members getting a discount. Note: Advanced purchase is required as tickets are not sold on site.

8. Menorah lighting ceremonies (Free!)

Palisades Village will host its menorah lighting ceremony on Dec. 7, celebrating the first night of Hanukkah. The festivities will begin at 4:30 p.m. and include family-friendly activities, musical entertainment and traditional treats. The Commons at Calabasas will host its annual Menorah Lighting Celebration on Dec. 12, including live musical entertainment, family-friendly activities, treats and a fireworks show.

9. Fiesta Navidad holiday concert

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Courtesy of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts

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The Grammy Award-winning Mariachi Los Camperos headlines the Fiesta Navidad holiday concert at Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa on Saturday, Dec. 23 at 8 p.m. The night is a joyful celebration of Mexican holiday traditions through music and dance — perfect for the whole family. Tickets run $32 to $92.

10. L.A. County Holiday Celebration (Free!)

The 64th annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration takes places from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Dec. 24 at The Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and "offers Angelenos of all ages the opportunity to experience and honor the dynamic, rich cultures of the county." And it is free. Yes, we said free. So what's the catch? Seating is first come, first seated, and the line starts forming around 9 a.m. Slated to perform this year: Gabrielito y La Verdad, Divas and Drummers of Compton, performers from the Hiza Yoo Korean Dance Institute, the Mostly Kosher and Jewish Youth Orchestra, the South Side Symphony, the Pasadena Girls' Choir and more. If you can't make it in person, you can watch it on PBS SoCal or stream online.

11. A Christmas Story, The Musical

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Gary Emord Netzley

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This is a gift for the whole family. Watch the musical adaptation of the beloved 1983 family comedy as Ralphie Parker schemes his way to getting a BB gun for Christmas. From the team behind the Tony Award-winning musical Dear Evan Hansen and films La La Land and The Greatest Showman, the stage show also features the hilarious leg lamp, pink bunny pajamas, scary department store Santa and the triple-dog-dare to lick a freezing flagpole scenes. A Christmas Story, The Musical runs from Dec. 5 to 31 at the Ahmanson Theatre in downtown L.A. Tickets range from $40-$169.

12. Bob Baker Marionette Theater's The Nutcracker

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Hayden Evans

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Celebrating their 60th year of marionette theater, Bob Baker’s Nutcracker returns Nov. 25 through Jan. 7 to mesmerize children and the young at heart with a magical interpretation of the classic holiday performance. The sugar plum fairy, waltzing flowers and more promise a magical experience that always comes with strings attached. In keeping with tradition, there will be ice cream for everyone after the show. Tickets for a sensory-friendly performance are also available. Tickets, $25.

13. Long Beach Floating Christmas Trees (Free!)

This is a holiday tradition that dates back to 1949: Floating Christmas trees, made of a wooden frame and ribbons of holiday lights, are visible throughout Long Beach typically starting right after Thanksgiving, until early January. You can spot them at the Colorado Lagoon, Alamitos Bay, Spinnaker Bay, Rainbow Harbor, Scherer Park, El Dorado Park West, Heartwell Park and even on top of the building at the end of Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier, according to the Press-Telegram, which has a delightful video diving further into this slice of iconic Long Beach history. Best of all? It’s free. Pack up some snacks, a Thermos full of hot chocolate, and head down to one of the waterfront spots where you can relax and enjoy the fleeting holiday view. The bridges in Belmont Shore and Naples provide great vantage points. If the budget allows, you can also get a group together and rent a Duffy boat out of Alamitos Bay for a closer look.

14. Holiday festivities at Gilchrist Farm (Free!)

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Gilchrist Farm

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It’s a holiday hoedown at Gilchrist Farm in Santa Clarita: Enjoy free weekend activities in December through Dec. 23 including a visit to see Santa (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.), a parade (10 a.m.), goat milking demonstrations at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., pig races, wool spinning, live music, food and craft booths and more. Ticketed events including a breakfast with Santa, train rides and photos and require the purchase of individual tickets (prices vary) or full-day wristbands ($55 for one child under twelve accompanied by two adults). Gilchrist Farm is located at 30116 Bouquet Canyon Rd., Santa Clarita.

15. Hooray For Holidays with Wayne Brady

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Gregory Zabilski

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Emmy-award winning Broadway star Wayne Brady joins the Gay Men’s Chorus Los Angeles to present Hooray For Holidays, the company’s annual seasonal extravaganza set to feature more than twenty timeless holiday hits from the Golden Age of cinema, contemporary classics and standards from the Great American Songbook. At the Saban Theater, Dec. 16-17. Tickets start at $45.

16. The Los Angeles Ballet's The Nutcracker

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Reed Hutchinson

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This year, the annual performance of Los Angeles Ballet’s The Nutcracker will be set in 1912 Los Angeles and feature iconic SoCal elements. Look for a Spanish style home, calla lilies, bougainvillea, archways of Venice Beach and views of the Pacific Ocean. There’s no place like home. Performances scheduled throughout Los Angeles County including Dolby Theater in Hollywood, Royce Hall at UCLA, Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center and the newly added Pasadena Civic Auditorium, Dec. 1 through Dec. 26.

17. The Hollywood Christmas Parade (Free!)

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Courtesy of the Hollywood Christmas Parade

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The 91st annual Hollywood extravaganza marches back into town on Sunday, Nov. 26 at 6 p.m. to usher in the holiday season with special guests including celebrities Dean Cain, Erik Estrada, Elizabeth Stanton, Laura McKenzie, Montel Williams as well as Mighty Mouse, Betty Boop and that jolly man in the red suit and beard. Free, but you can also get great seats if you are willing to pay, $120. Parade organizers at the City of Los Angeles have once again partnered with the U.S. Marine Corps’ Toys For Tots campaign as well as other charitable organizations to help underprivileged people during the season of giving. Note that there will be freeway and street closures, so plan accordingly.

18. Long Beach Holiday Swing!

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Greenberg Artists

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The Long Beach Symphony Orchestra presents a night at the Pops with Holiday Swing! A seasonal celebration featuring jazz musician and former lead trumpeter and soloist for the Count Basie Orchestra Byron Stripling, along with vocalist Sydney McSweeney, custom arrangements, virtuosic trumpet playing, and sing-a-longs to the tunes of Joy to the World, Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town, Silent Night and more. Pre-ordered catered meals available, or BYO picnic. At the Long Beach Arena & Convention Center, Dec. 16, 17, 23.

19. Polar Express Train Ride in Perris

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Courtesy of The Polar Express Train Ride

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Climb aboard the Polar Express Train Ride in Perris and believe all over again. Accompanied by the music of the motion picture soundtrack, passengers will relive the magic of the heart warming Christmas story by Chis Van Allsburg as they journey along a one-hour train ride to meet Santa. All aboard for caroling, cookies, singing and dancing, and the first gift of the season a keepsake silver sleigh bell. Through Dec. 30. Tickets start at $50.

20. Newport Beach Boat Parade (Free!)

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Visit Newport Beach

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Sailing into the holiday season for their 115th year, the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade will feature a nightly flotilla of festivity when the sun goes down starting Dec. 13 through Dec. 17. Once again hosted by the Commodores Club of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce, parade "floats" will include everything from decorated yachts to spirited kayaks and canoes. Waterfront homes are also decked out for the occasion and compete for awards in the categories of lights, theme, animation and more.

21. Winter Fantasy at The Sawdust Festival

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Courtesy The Sawdust Art Festival

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For the 33rd year in a row, the Winter Fantasy holiday art festival nestled amongst the eucalyptus trees in Laguna Beach will present a special holiday market amidst wood shavings and an abundance of creative ambiance. Decorated with thousands of lights and showcasing the work of more than 160 local artisans, the event will include live music, carolers, puppeteers, complimentary art workshops, concession stands, daily appearances by Santa and, of course, shopping. Open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 17, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission, $10 adults, $7 seniors, $5 children ages 6-12.

22. Winter Frolic at Kidspace Children’s Museum 

Located on the Kidspace Children's Museum's scenic 3.5 acre campus in Pasadena, the Winter Frolic is for SoCal kids looking to “penguin slide” at the ice-free (and therefore much warmer!) Sock Skating Rink ($5 with admission), explore a Snow Dome, and enjoy a seasonal flurry of hands-on activities, special performances and adorable animal encounters. Climb, play, dance, hike, bike, dance, create and more. Through Jan. 7. Tickets for non-members start at $15.50.

23. Griffith Park Train Ride

The popular Griffith Park Train Ride transforms into a magical winter wonderland at this time of year. But be aware: This is another event that frequently sells out on the weekends, so plan accordingly, and guarantee seats by purchasing tickets in advance online. The ride is about 10 minutes long, travels a one-mile track and is decorated with thousands upon thousands of Christmas lights and festive scenes. “Suitable for humans of all ages,” according to the website. Runs Nov. 24 through Jan. 5. Rides run 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and until 9 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. $7 per person, children aged 18-months-old and younger ride for free. Watch their Facebook page for weather updates: High winds and heavy rains may cancel rides. Note that this place can be tricky to get to if you’ve never been here before, and traffic can be a bear: So, pack up some thermos of hot chocolate for some parking lot tailgating, arrive early and enjoy the open air photo booths (next year’s holiday card perhaps?) and gift kiosks.

Malibu is pushing back the next phase of its speed camera program along a deadly stretch of PCH to November. The 60-day warning period was originally set to start in November, where drivers going 11 or more miles per hour over the speed limit will get a warning instead of a fine.

The delay, the city says, is needed so adjustments can be made to camera installations.

Yesterday, a Nobu worker was killed about a block from the upscale Japanese restaurant on PCH. CBS LA reports that a juvenile had crashed into the employee's parked vehicle.

When fines start

Malibu officials announced the delay of the program's warning phase last week after a testing period in September recorded around 100,000 speeding violations in less than 10 days.

Enforcement at the 10 cameras along a 21-mile stretch of Pacific Coast Highway will start sometime after the end of the warning period. According to the city, violations will result in fines, but not driver’s license points or insurance penalties.

Why Malibu added speed cameras

Since 2010, traffic collisions on that part of PCH have killed more than 60 people, the city says. In 2023 alone, there were 220 reported crashes there, with 93 injuries and seven deaths — including four Pepperdine University students who were standing along PCH when a driver hit and killed them. The driver, who is charged with murder, is scheduled to stand trial beginning Dec. 1.

Following that incident, Malibu City Council declared a local emergency over dangerous conditions posed by reckless and speeding drivers.

In 2024, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 1297 into law to allow Malibu to install the speed cameras

Looking to say adios to your lawn by sheet mulching or to add a protective layer to your flower beds? Good news, you don’t need to pay for mulch or woodchips. You can instead get them for free in Southern California. Here are a few different ways, depending on your flexibility - and muscle power.

Free mulch piles

Municipalities across the region offer free mulch.

City of L.A.: You can grab mulch anytime from one of its free mulch piles.

O.C.: You can schedule a pickup from a greenery/landfill

Other cities: see below (or check out your own city government’s page).

• Riverside County Department of Waste Resources 
• City of Rialto Free Compost & Mulch 
• Burrtec's Coachella Valley Composting Facility. It is located at 87011 Landfill Rd in Coachella. 
• City of Rancho Mirage Free Compost and Mulch Program 
• City of Ventura Free Compost and Mulch Program

Free mulch delivery

If you don’t want to go pick up the free mulch yourself, consider ChipDrop. It’s a service that connects arborists with gardeners to deliver free wood chips.

Beware: you may get a lot of mulch. Like, a lot.

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Jenn Baughman

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LAist

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Connect with an arborist:

If you want to try to control the amount of mulch you get - or the date of delivery - you may want to consider talking to an individual arborist. They often end up with excess woodchips they need to get rid of, or take to the dump. If you call they might be happy to offload some for your garden.

Opponents of Proposition 40 have a message for voters: Don’t be fooled. The billionaire tax is a “Trojan horse” for new taxes on all Californians, ads proclaim. But is that true?

Tucked into the initiative is language granting the Legislature authority to amend the tax by a two-thirds vote “if the statute is consistent with and furthers the purposes of the 2026 Billionaire Tax Act.” Opponents argue lawmakers and a future governor could, with the stroke of a pen, expand the wealth tax to people with far less than $1 billion.

In a high-tax state, that argument could hold a lot of sway with voters.

Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West put Prop. 40 on the ballot; the initiative would levy a one-time, 5% tax on billionaire’s assets. The union rejects the premise of the ad. It says the tax is limited to billionaires and any legislative amendment would have to hew closely to that purpose. Dave Regan, president of SEIU-UHW, said opponents’ ads are pure scare tactics.

“The billionaire tax is a tax on billionaires. Period. If you’re not a billionaire, you don’t pay the tax,” Regan said in a statement to CalMatters.

Rob Lapsley, president of the California Business Roundtable, the group that paid for the ad, said the message was meant to highlight the policy implications of a wealth tax and the power Prop. 40 gives lawmakers.

“Californians deserve to understand those issues and what they could mean for taxpayers and the state’s economy,” Lapsley said in a statement.

A separate, billionaire-backed group opposed to Prop. 40 has also said the initiative “gives politicians the power to expand the tax to anyone.”

The truth lies somewhere in between.

California courts have given lawmakers real authority to amend laws created by ballot initiatives if the original text of the initiative permits it. However, that power is not unlimited and the measure includes language restricting future legislative changes, said Michael Colantuono, an attorney with expertise in state election law.

Opponents’ ads also don’t mention that Prop. 40 writes the tax into the state Constitution, not just state law, so expanding it would likely require another trip to the ballot.

Legislative authority

Legal experts agree that if Prop. 40 passes, lawmakers would be able to make certain amendments without taking it back to voters.

The state Constitution allows the Legislature to amend a ballot initiative without another vote if the initiative permits it. That’s a relatively common clause in ballot measures, and Prop. 40 includes it.

Megan Jones, a tax attorney at Holland & Knight, said proponents’ claims that the tax could never be changed are disingenuous.

“If it’s going to further the purposes, then they could,” Jones said.

For example, voters passed the Political Reform Act, which governs campaign finance and lobbying rules, in 1974 and lawmakers have amended it almost continually since.

Similarly, lawmakers have amended the Mental Health Services Act, a voter-approved 1% income tax on millionaires, 10 times since its passage in 2004. None of those amendments adjusted the tax rate. Most recently, lawmakers voted to substantially alter how the state spends mental health money and raise additional bond funds. Those changes went back to voters in 2024 as Proposition 1.

But there isn’t always a clear line for when voters need to approve changes, experts say.

“It is common for the Legislature to make amendments,” Colantuono said. “It is (also) common for there to be disputes about those amendments.”

‘Furthers the purposes of’

“Ultimately, it ends up in court,” said Chris Parker, a principal tax attorney at the firm Baker Tilly.

The California Supreme Court ruled in a 1995 case that the Legislature may amend voter-approved laws if the changes can be interpreted as furthering voters’ original goals “by any reasonable construction” — giving lawmakers broad latitude.

In 2021, the state Supreme Court held that the Legislature appropriately amended Proposition 57, a criminal justice reform measure, by barring the transferring of minors under 16 to adult court. Justices cited the 1995 case, noting that “a strong presumption of constitutionality supports the Legislature’s acts.”

Still, the language of the proposition matters.

A few years earlier, in 2019, the Third District Court of Appeal held that a legislative attempt to allow public funding of political campaigns “directly conflicts with a primary purpose” of the Political Reform Act. Lawmakers responded by passing a new bill asking voters to weigh in directly — it appears on this year’s ballot as Proposition 4.

Judges look at two things, Coluantuono said: what reasonable voters thought they were approving, and whether later legislative changes helped that goal, or got in the way.

Certain provisions of Prop. 40 would make it difficult for lawmakers to expand the tax beyond billionaires. The 1995 case established that courts may weigh the language of a ballot measure, arguments printed in the voter guide, and historical context when deciding whether change is consistent with voter intent.

Prop. 40’s purpose and intent section says the measure is meant to support healthcare and education “by raising revenue from a one-time tax on billionaire wealth” — referencing billionaire wealth three times. The voter guide arguments similarly target “approximately 200 California billionaires.”

“They could probably adjust the structure of the tax in marginal ways, but what they couldn’t do is make it a more than a one-time tax, and they probably couldn’t lower the threshold on wealth,” Coluantuono said.

Opponents contend lawmakers could interpret the purpose of the act far more broadly, and a court would agree. They point to the first listed purpose of the initiative that says the tax is meant to “protect access to high quality, equitable health care, and to support funding for kindergarten through grade fourteen public education and food assistance programs.” Opponents also say the proposal gives the Legislature the authority to change all parts of the initiative, including the constitutional provisions.

“Prop 40’s findings and statement of purpose and intent were carefully crafted to ensure that

extending the tax to non-billionaires would be consistent with the measure,” said Kurt Oneto, a lawyer for the No on 40 campaign, in a statement.

Experts said the question would likely come down to how a court read the act’s purposes.

A separate concern: how do you prove wealth? 

Should Prop. 40 pass, it would create an entirely new tax structure in California — one that assigns a value to very wealthy people’s investments, public and private businesses, as well as personal property such as art or car collections.

Valuing something like a tech startup that hasn’t produced a product or gone public could prove especially difficult, Parker said.

“The excise tax that’s being proposed here is on potential,” he said. “The question then is, if we open the door to taxing potential, when does that stop?”

Lawmakers have periodically tried to pass wealth taxes, but the bills quickly stalled. This marks the first time voters will directly decide on one, making Prop. 40 a crucial test of how much appetite Californians have for his kind of tax structure. Jones said the bigger worry isn’t the tax itself, but other taxes that could follow.

“It’s a slippery slope,” she said.

Coluantuono said it would still be politically risky for lawmakers to try to implement a wealth tax on everyday Californians, but history shows temporary taxes have more than once become permanent.

“When we get a revenue stream in the government and we start spending it on services that people value… there’s tremendous political pressure to prevent the sunset,” he said.

Supported by the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), which works to ensure that people have access to the care they need, when they need it, at a price they can afford. Visit www.chcf.org to learn more.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and her challenger, City Councilmember Nithya Raman, appeared at a South L.A. forum Saturday, where they agreed on some aspects of the city’s approach to reducing homelessness, but offered different ideas on addressing housing costs.

The two appeared separately in conversations with Brenda Verano of CALO News at A Place Called Home, a youth services community organization.

Bass went first, saying she grew up just 20 blocks south of the venue.

“South L.A. has been a big part of my life and what I have done,” said Bass, who in 1991 helped start Community Coalition, which fights for racial and economic justice in that part of the city.

Each candidate was asked how they would build trust in City Hall among Black and Latino residents in South L.A.

“Black and brown poor folks the most have been central in my administration and will continue to be so,” Bass said. “But to me, representation is not just about faces in a room. It's about collaborating on everything you're doing.”

Raman said the establishment “has taken the people of Los Angeles for granted.”

“I’m running for mayor because I don’t want to ignore any part of this city,” she said. “I want to make sure we are people who know these communities not just in the mayor's office but across the many commissions, across the many departments that are designed to oversee these neighborhoods.”

How the candidates would work with LAPD 

Both vowed to expand pilot programs where unarmed social workers respond to certain non-emergency 911 calls instead of the police department.

“Law enforcement should not be dealing with homelessness and substance abuse and mental health,” Bass said. “Those are public health issues.”

But Bass said it's doubtful the police department’s budget will be cut before the 2028 Olympics. The mayor in the past has expressed support for growing the number of police officers.

Raman has said the department is about the right size. She expressed concern about the police department’s cooperation with ICE during recent federal immigration raids.

Raman also criticized the department for its crowd control tactics during protests around ICE facilities. Police used tear gas and rubber bullets against some protestors.

“This mayor did not speak out against those actions by LAPD, appointed a chief who has not met this moment, who said he would not enforce laws put in by the state to protect us,” Raman said.

Chief Jim McDonnell has previously said his department would not enforce California's state law banning federal immigration and law enforcement agents from wearing masks on duty. A federal appeals court in February blocked enforcement of the law.

Bass said if the judicial ban is lifted, she would order McDonnell to enforce the state law. The mayor also defended the department’s use of police officers for crowd control during ICE operations.

“If there is a crowd around an arrest, then LAPD is involved because we don’t want to have the federal government doing that,” she said.

Both say city should exit troubled homelessness agency

On the city’s response to homelessness, Bass called the current system “completely disfunctional” and called for a new system under the control of the city.

Currently, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority oversees the city’s delivery of homeless services. Numerous audits have found poor accounting of taxpayer money at the agency — which spent nearly $830 million in public funds last fiscal year.

The county has already pulled its funding from the agency in favor of standing up a new county-run Department of Homeless Services and Housing.

Bass said unhoused people are not getting enough care once they leave the streets.

“It is insufficient. They are not taken care of in terms of their health, education, etc. A new system would enable us to do that,” Bass said.

Raman has said she also supports leaving LAHSA and investing in a new homelessness bureau. She noted that street homelessness fell in her council district while numbers across the city went up, according to this year’s homeless count.

“In the past few years, this mayor has refused to audit our homelessness response,” Raman said. “I am very committed to doing that, and I'll request that audit on day one.”

Sharp divides on housing development, renter protections

On housing, Raman criticized the mayor’s opposition to building more densely in residential neighborhoods near transit centers. She said the result has been more building in the city’s poorer council districts, including the South L.A. district that hosted Saturday’s forum.

“Wealthier neighborhoods, less diverse neighborhoods, whiter neighborhoods have actually pushed back on affordable housing, on greater density,” Raman said.

More of the city, said Raman, should bear the burden of greater density.

“We need to build more housing in Los Angeles, but we need to build it across every single neighborhood,” Raman added.

Bass has said density doesn’t belong in some neighborhoods. She opposed a state law, SB 79, that will force cities to allow apartment buildings up to nine stories tall near rail transit stations.

Bass said her administration has fast-tracked new income-restricted housing. But she argued that certain development restrictions are necessary to prevent gentrification.

“We need housing, but we cannot displace Black and Brown people,” Bass said. “If you have housing that is just built anywhere and everywhere, they're coming for us.”

Raman also criticized Bass’ move to temporarily lift restrictions on short-term rentals in preparation for an influx of visitors during the 2028 Olympics.

“I want to make sure that this mayor’s push for deregulating short-term rental during this time, in ways that are harmful to renters, don’t go through,” Raman said. She said tenants could be displaced as landlords turn long-term rentals into short-term accommodations.

Airbnb and business groups back the proposal, saying it will fill a visitor lodging gap for the Olympics and that it would generate significant municipal revenue. Airbnb has put more than $4 million toward backing Bass and three other city candidates, according to the latest campaign finance reports.