None of Nithya Raman’s council colleagues backed her bid for mayor. Will they work with her?

Nithya Raman won the race for Los Angeles mayor this week and unseated incumbent Karen Bass without a single endorsement from her colleagues on the City Council.

She won without them, but she’ll have to govern with them.

Raman, a two-term councilmember and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, entered the race in February just hours before the filing deadline and shortly after endorsing Bass. The move caught some colleagues off guard and angered Bass allies, who noted the mayor had helped Raman win reelection two years ago.

After Bass conceded Thursday, nearly every councilmember said they were ready to work with Mayor-elect Raman, who takes office on Dec. 14.

In a video message Thursday, she spoke to Angelenos who voted for Bass or skipped the election altogether.

“I am going to City Hall to work every single day to earn your trust, and to earn your trust in this city again,” Raman said.

She’ll also have to win support from a council that backed her opponent.

Thirteen of the 14 endorsed Bass, including other DSA-affiliated councilmembers.

How Raman gets along with the council will shape whether she can deliver on her campaign promises. She has pledged to reduce the number of people living in tents and encampments by at least 50% before the 2028 Olympics, triple annual housing construction and staff a film office in the mayor's office to win back Hollywood jobs.

The council approves the city budget, confirms the mayor’s appointees and will decide who fills Raman’s own council seat.

Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez, right, speaks with Councilmember Nithya Raman at City Hall.

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"Although the mayor has a lot of power, much of the legislation and action items are going to have to go through [the] council,” Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez, another DSA-affiliated councilmember, told LAist Thursday.

“I'm looking forward to working with her on these issues, but just from a different perspective,” Soto-Martínez continued. “There are moments where we might not be on the same page, as with this mayoral campaign, but there's a lot that we agree on.”

LAist asked the 12 members of L.A.'s City Council who will serve alongside Raman how they plan to work with her. (Councilmembers Bob Blumenfield and Curren Price are leaving the council.) All but one responded or posted congratulations online.

Most pledged to partner with her on basic city services: working streetlights, fixed sidewalks, help for renters.

“Of course, there’s going to be disagreement,” Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky told LAist. “The entire body supported the incumbent. Disagreement is inevitable, but dysfunction is a choice, and we do not have the luxury right now of dysfunction. We need to come together and govern.”

Some warned that the job ahead won't be easy.

“We have many challenges ahead of us,” said Councilmember Adrin Nazarian, in a statement provided to LAist. “And I trust that Mayor-elect Raman is ready to face them head-on.”

The view from the progressive bloc

Councilmembers Eunisses Hernandez and Ysabel Jurado — both DSA members like Raman — endorsed Bass in May. Soto-Martínez had also backed Bass before Raman entered the race.

On Thursday, all three welcomed Raman’s win. Hernandez told LAist in a statement that she and Raman already have a track record of passing progressive policies together. Those included coauthoring the Sanctuary City Ordinance and advancing stronger protections for tenants facing eviction and harassment.

“We’ve shown what's possible when we challenge the status quo, and I'm excited about what we can accomplish together with her in the Mayor's Office,” Hernandez wrote.

Jurado, who chairs the committee focused on homelessness, said the city of L.A. needs to deliver affordable housing, safer streets, pathways out of homelessness and reliable city services.

"Mayor-elect Raman will have a committed partner in me as we take on that work,” Jurado said in a statement. “We share a belief that working people should be able to build a future in this city, and I am ready to work alongside her to make that promise real for more Angelenos.”

Soto-Martínez said he and Raman talked after she entered the race and knew they’d be on opposite sides. But he said the issues Raman talked about during her campaign are important to the district he represents — which includes Hollywood, East Hollywood and parts of Northeast L.A.

“My district is about 83% renters, and we have about 700 people a month who get a notice of eviction for non-payment of rent,” Soto-Martínez told LAist. “And so I look forward to working on the affordability crisis and making sure that tenants stay indoors.”

He said he looks forward to the next chapter, with Raman as mayor.

“I congratulated her on her victory and we both immediately pivoted to the work ahead of us, which I was very happy about,” Soto-Martínez said. “I think it'll be a seamless transition.”

los Angeles City Councilmembers Nithya Raman, Monica Rodriguez and Hugo Soto-Martínez listen to fellow City Council member at City Hall, Dec. 2, 2025.

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What Raman’s critics say

Even some of Raman’s harshest critics on the council said they're ready to work with her.

Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, who told the Los Angeles Times during the campaign that she didn't know what Raman stands for, called the mayor-elect Thursday to congratulate her, Rodriguez’s office told LAist.

This week, Rodriguez told NBC Los Angeles that working with Raman would require colleagues to set aside “personal feelings.”

Councilmember Traci Park, whose district covers the Westside and includes the Pacific Palisades, said she voted for Bass but did not endorse her. Park had criticized Raman's record on public safety and her response to the fire.

“She faces great challenges as she takes the helm at City Hall,” Park told LAist. “Olympic test events are coming to Venice next year and the 2028 Games are right around the corner. We must have her support to prepare our streets, sidewalks and coastal access hub.”

Councilmember Imelda Padilla, who had said serving on Raman’s homelessness committee was the “most unproductive time I've had on the council,” declined LAist’s interview request and had not posted any statement on social media, as of Thursday night.

What challenges lie ahead

Raman takes over a city with a strained budget, a street homelessness crisis, a Palisades still rebuilding from the 2025 fire and less than two years to prepare for the Olympics.

“The streetlights are out, the roads aren't being repaved fast enough, the sidewalks are a mess, homelessness is a problem,” Yaroslavsky told LAist. “These are all things that I'm expecting to work with the new mayor on.”

Yaroslavsky, who chairs the council's budget committee, said Raman will lead the city during a “tricky time budgetarily.”

“I've worked closely with Nithya over the last four years,” she said. “We've agreed, we've disagreed, but we have a good working relationship with each other already, so it's not like we're starting from scratch.”

Yaroslavsky and Raman were the only councilmembers to vote against the $2.6 billion Convention Center expansion last year, warning it was too financially risky. Yaroslavsky said they share a concern for the city’s long-term finances.

“We can't spend money we don't have,” Yaroslavsky said. “We need to look internally and be more efficient with the dollars we do have and we need to find ways to grow our budget without raising people's taxes. Nithya and I agree on that.”

A parks measure on Tuesday's ballot guarantees more city money for parks, Yaroslavsky said, which means “less for the other departments.” Revenue from a Fire Department sales tax, which appeared headed for passage, will need careful oversight, she said.

Congratulating Raman on social media, Councilmember Heather Hutt wrote that residents want better transportation, more parks and investment in streets, and that her office “stands ready to partner” with the new mayor.

Nazarian’s statement said that he and Raman “both came to this country as immigrants and had to start over.” He listed rising costs, public transit and keeping film and TV production in L.A. as shared priorities with the mayor-elect.

Councilmember Tim McOsker, who represents the Harbor-area 15th District, wrote on social media that he looks forward to working with Raman “to improve the quality of life for the people of the One-Five and all Angelenos.”

Councilmember John Lee wrote on social media that he looks forward to working with Raman “to improve city services and address the challenges our neighborhoods face.”

Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman has surpassed Spencer Pratt to enter the number two slot in the primary race for LA mayor, setting her up as the potential runoff candidate against incumbent Karen Bass.

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Positioning for Raman's replacement on the council

Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Bass’ closest ally on the council, wrote on social media that it's time for the city “to come together and build a bright future.”

His office also signaled that Raman's 4th District council seat, which she'll vacate, could be filled by appointment rather than through a special election.

“We look forward to working with Mayor-elect Raman and will discuss with her an appointment who best serves the residents of the Fourth District,” Martin Schlageter, a senior advisor to Harris-Dawson, said in a statement to LAist Thursday.

Under the City Charter, the council can fill a vacancy by appointment or call a special election. In 2022, it appointed Heather Hutt to the 10th District seat. In 2023, it held a special election for the 6th District, which Imelda Padilla won. Raman's council term runs through 2028.

Before Raman takes office, the council will begin deciding how to fill her seat, and how to work with their former colleague.

“Let’s see what the next few weeks and the next few years look [like] for the city,” Soto-Martínez said.