Incumbent Mayor Karen Bass faces off against one-time ally City Councilmember Nithya Raman at a time when the city is grappling with rampant homelessness, the skyrocketing cost of housing and a paucity of basic city services like pothole repair — all while trying to get the city ready to host the Olympic Games in 2028.

What’s at stake in this race

L.A.’s mayor has a big bully pulpit as leader of a government with a $14 billion budget.

In this race, Raman, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, is running to the left of Bass. The race will be closely watched because of a growing number of electoral victories across the country by candidates associated with the Democratic Socialists of America — the highest profile being New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Some of the big issues facing the next mayor are the homelessness crisis, affordable housing, Palisades Fire recovery, street services, policing and preparation for the 2028 Olympics.

Homelessness has been an especially intractable problem. In recent years, the city has allocated more than $1 billion annually to get people off the streets and into affordable housing. Yet more than 45,000 men, women and children remain unhoused.

What does LA's mayor do?

• Proposes and approves an annual budget, which was $14 billion in 2025-26.
• Approves or vetoes City Council ordinances. (The council can override a veto with a two-thirds vote.)
• Hires department heads, including the police and fire chiefs, housing director and head of the Department of Water and Power.
• Appoints various boards and commissions, including the Police Commission, Planning Commission and Board of Public Works.
• Appoints four members of the Metro Board of Directors.
• Issues executive orders. 
• Declares local emergencies.
• Oversees departments responsible for filling potholes, repairing streetlights and picking up trash, among other basic city services.

Here are some things the mayor doesn't do

The city of L.A. has a weak mayoral system, which means a lot of decisions around development and budgeting are made by the City Council. Unlike in many other big cities, the mayor has no control over the L.A. Unified School District.

Fast facts about the mayor's office 

• The mayor is limited to two four-year terms. Bass is seeking her second and final term.
• Bass is the first woman to serve as mayor of Los Angeles.
• The mayor’s salary is about $301,000.

What’s on the agenda for next term

Palisades Fire recovery efforts

The fire killed 12 people and burned nearly 7,000 structures. Property and capital losses were between $76 billion and $131 billion, without accounting for insurance or settlement proceeds, according to the UCLA Anderson School of Management. The next mayor will need to ensure the city continues to receive federal disaster aid recovery money and that the permitting process goes smoothly as people rebuild their homes.

Ongoing homelessness crisis

The next mayor will need to decide whether to continue Bass’ Inside Safe program, which seeks to bring people off the streets and to remove homeless encampments. Bass points to a decline in the number of unhoused people in the city as evidence of its success. Critics say billions of dollars have been spent with relatively little progress.

Housing

The next mayor will need to decide whether to allow affordable housing projects in neighborhoods zoned for single-family homes. The strategy is important to expanding the affordable housing stock, yet Bass abandoned it after an outcry from so-called NIMBYs (shorthand for "not in my backyard"), people who don’t want development near them. The next mayor will also have to decide whether to support delays in the implementation of SB79, the law that allows taller apartment buildings near train lines.

The LAPD

The Los Angeles Police Department has shrunk to fewer than 8,700 officers — down from 10,000 just a few years ago. The next mayor will have to decide whether to pour more resources into increasing the size of the department or support further reductions.

Olympics

The next mayor will preside over preparations for the 2028 Olympic Games, guiding the allocation of city resources to accommodate up to 15 million visitors. One question is whether the city should pay $30 million for 300 new police cars to patrol the Olympics, as has been requested by the Police Department. The mayor will also have to make sure the city isn't on the hook for any cost overruns by the Olympics.

The candidates for LA mayor

Karen Bass, incumbent

Karen Bass

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Courtesy Karen Bass

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Karen Bass was born in L.A. She was elected mayor in 2022. She has a long history in Democratic politics, serving in Congress and in the state Assembly, where she rose to Assembly speaker.

In 1990, Bass, a trained physician assistant, founded the Community Coalition, a South L.A. group that works to advance racial and economic justice.

Bass declared a homelessness emergency on her first day in office. This declaration allowed her to cut through red tape, including through no-bid contracts, to start her signature Inside Safe program to bring people off the streets and into housing. She touts a drop in homelessness and the lowest crime rate in 60 years among her accomplishments.

Bass appointed veteran law enforcement executive Jim McDonnell as chief of the Police Department. McDonnell previously served as L.A. County sheriff, Long Beach police chief and assistant chief of the LAPD.

She’s been criticized for her handling of the Palisades Fire. Bass was out of town when it began in January 2025, and there have been reports she urged the city Fire Department to water down a report assessing the agency’s response to the fire, something Bass denies. When the city’s preparation and response to the Palisades Fire came under sharp scrutiny, Bass terminated the fire chief. The former chief has filed a wrongful termination lawsuit.

In her own words

Priorities: Here’s how Bass described her top three priorities in response to an LAist questionnaire:

“My top three priorities for improving the quality of life in Los Angeles are ending street encampments … strengthening public safety … [and] elevating city services.”

Homelessness: Here’s Bass on an issue that is top of mind for voters:

“I will maintain focus on interim housing until the last street encampment is gone. In my first two years, I achieved a 17.5% reduction in street homelessness. … My opponents would likely retreat to the ‘business-as-usual’ approach of the last 40 years — shuffling people from one block to the next or waiting years for ‘perfect’ structural solutions while people suffer and die on our sidewalks.”

Olympics: Here’s what Bass told LAist about potential cost overruns for the 2028 Games:

“While the 1984 Olympics were the first to generate a lasting profit, we are ensuring that 2028 serves the city without burdening taxpayers. I established the Office of Major Events to cut red tape and ensure we are ready. While the LA28 Organizing Committee has secured record-breaking sponsorship, we are mandating transparency through strict, independent audits.”

Trump and immigration: Here’s part of Bass’s answer to a question about whether and how L.A.’s mayor should interact with the Trump administration on immigration enforcement:

“My approach is 'resistance with a purpose.' We will protect our residents from aggressive enforcement while ensuring the federal government fulfills its obligations to the people of Los Angeles. We will not be bullied or ignored. We will protect our people and demand our fair share.”

Why she should be reelected: Here’s what Bass wrote when LAist asked why she should get Angelenos’ votes:

“Solving 40 years of problems doesn't happen in three. I am bringing the change L.A. needs to finally move in the right direction. Under my leadership, we’ve driven street homelessness down 17.5%, accelerated 40,000 housing units and signed our first rent stabilization update in 40 years to protect tenants. I launched the city’s first-ever Comprehensive Infrastructure Plan to fix our streets and sidewalks, while our community safety strategies led to the lowest homicide total since the 1960s. Now more than ever, we need a leader with the strength to protect all Angelenos against attacks from [President Donald] Trump. I have the experience to defend our progress and ensure a city that works for everyone. Let’s keep moving forward, and we cannot afford to return to the failed policies of the past.”

More voter resources:

• Website: KarenBass.com
• Endorsements: L.A. County Democratic Party, the L.A. County Federation of Labor, Los Angeles Police Protective League, EMILY’s List
• Full endorsements list here.

Go deeper: 

• Bass talks to LAist AirTalk host Larry Mantle on the one-year anniversary of the Palisades Fire.
• Bass talks to NBCLA about immigration raids, other issues facing the city.
• The Guardian profile of Bass
• Pat Brown Institute interview with Bass

Nithya Raman, City Council member, District 4

Nithya Raman

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Vivien Killilea

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Getty Images

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Nithya Raman is in her second term on the L.A. City Council, representing District 4, which stretches from Silver Lake to Sherman Oaks in the San Fernando Valley. She was born in India and moved to the U.S. with her family when she was 6.

Raman was the first person in nearly two decades to oust an incumbent council member when she was first elected in 2020. Raman, an urban planner, was also the first in a wave of members of the Democratic Socialists of America to be elected to the council.

In her own words

Priorities: Here’s how Raman described her top three priorities in response to an LAist questionnaire:

“My top priority for improving quality of life is addressing housing and homelessness. … Second, basic city services. … Third, safer communities.”

Homelessness: Here’s Raman on an issue that’s top of mind for voters:

"I promise to put real accountability at the center of Los Angeles’ homelessness response so that every dollar spent is tied to measurable results. … I will also launch a public dashboard to show in real time what is working and what is not. Funding decisions will be tied to performance, with underperforming contracts reformed or ended. Finally, I will ensure we are maximizing existing shelter and housing capacity so that beds and units we are paying for are actually filled."

Olympics: Here’s what Raman told LAist about potential cost overruns for the 2028 Games:

“The Olympics are coming, and my job as mayor will be to make sure they benefit Angelenos, not burden them. The risk of cost overruns is real. Angelenos cannot be left holding the bag. That means enforceable agreements that cap the city's liability, strict financial safeguards and full transparency so taxpayers know exactly what we are on the hook for. We must also ensure the Games do not come at the expense of our communities. … The Olympics should leave a positive legacy. That only happens if we deliver them responsibly, without financial harm or civil rights trade-offs.”

Trump and immigration: Here’s part of Raman’s answer to a question about whether and how L.A.’s mayor should interact with the Trump administration on immigration enforcement:

“As the author of L.A.’s Sanctuary City Ordinance, I have built the legal foundation that prohibits city resources, personnel and data from being used for federal immigration enforcement. As mayor I will continue to oppose harmful federal actions that target immigrant communities. … At the same time, I will engage the administration where necessary to protect our residents, push back on overreach like unauthorized military deployments and advocate for local control. My responsibility is to defend Angelenos, uphold our values and ensure that federal actions do not compromise safety, dignity, or constitutional rights.”

Why she should be mayor: Here’s what Raman wrote when LAist asked why she should get Angelenos’ votes:

“Los Angeles is at a breaking point, and we need new leadership focused on getting the basics right while tackling our biggest crises with urgency and accountability. As councilmember, I passed the strongest tenant protections in city history, cut encampments in my district by 54% and voted against the contracts that drove this city into a billion-dollar deficit. As mayor, I will make L.A. a city that works and is more affordable. That means increasing housing production, making City Hall accountable for results and delivering the basics Angelenos deserve: working streetlights, safe sidewalks, a more effective homelessness response.”

More voter resources:

• Website: NithyaForTheCity.com

Go deeper: 

• Raman’s interview on LAist’s AirTalk, hosted by Larry Mantle.
• NBC-LA’s Conan Nolan interview of Raman.
• L.A. mayoral candidate Nithya Raman’s Record may surprise you (L.A. Times)

How to get involved

Campaign finance

To see the full list of donors to each campaign, visit the L.A. Ethics Commission’s Public Data Portal and input the name of any candidate under “Committee(s)” to get a full list of contributors to campaigns and independent expenditure committees.

LAist will bring you updated campaign financing details as they become available, closer to Election Day. Here's the latest information that we have available, dating back to the primary earlier this year.