Nithya Raman
Candidate for Mayor, Los Angeles · Councilmember/Urban Planner
Nithya Raman earned a bachelor's degree in social studies from Harvard University and a master's degree in city planning from MIT. Before entering politics, she worked as an urban planner, founding Transparent Chennai, a research group focused on improving sanitation access in India, and later working for the Los Angeles City Administrative Officer's office. In 2017 she founded the SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition, a homelessness outreach nonprofit, and she also served as executive director of Time's Up Entertainment. In 2020 she defeated an incumbent to win the Los Angeles City Council seat representing the 4th District, a victory the Los Angeles Times called a 'political earthquake' since it was the first time in 17 years a challenger had beaten a sitting councilmember. On the council, she authored amendments strengthening the city's tenant harassment ordinance, helped cap rent increases on rent-stabilized apartments, wrote the city's sanctuary ordinance limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, and served as Vice-Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on City Governance Reform, which led to the ballot measure creating an Independent Redistricting Commission that voters approved in 2024.
Positions in brief
Raman's platform centers on rapidly expanding housing production and homelessness services, redirecting some public-safety response toward unarmed teams, and pushing for more transparent, accountable city government.
Raman says Los Angeles has failed to house residents affordably and wants to roughly triple annual housing construction while cutting red tape for developers and allowing more 'gentle density' in single-family neighborhoods. She points to her renter-protection record on the city council, including expanded just-cause eviction rules and capped rent increases, and says she would keep strengthening those protections citywide. On homelessness, she cites a large drop in street homelessness in her council district and says she would expand the city's homelessness oversight and coordination efforts. She wrote the city's sanctuary ordinance and says any appearance of local police cooperating with federal immigration enforcement is dangerous for residents. On public safety, she wants to expand unarmed crisis response teams and connect them directly into the 911 dispatch system, alongside continued investment in crime prevention. She has criticized the city's budgeting as unsustainable and says the city needs better fiscal management, including growing the property tax base, and clearer performance data from city departments. On government reform, she pushed for the Independent Redistricting Commission voters approved in 2024, served on a city committee studying corruption-limiting Charter reforms, and introduced lobbying-disclosure legislation. She has also proposed a dedicated city film office to help stem the loss of entertainment-industry jobs, faster rebuilding after the Palisades fire, and safer streets and expanded transit.
On the issues
- Housing & Homelessness
Wants to roughly triple annual housing construction and reduce red tape for building new homes.
“The inability to equitably and affordably house all residents is the compounding moral crisis”
Source → - Housing & Homelessness
Supports strong renter protections, including expanded just-cause eviction rules and capped rent increases.
“Nearly two thirds of Angelenos rent their homes”
Source → - Housing & Homelessness
Wants to expand the city's homelessness oversight and coordination efforts citywide.
Source → - Immigration & Border
Opposes any local police cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and supports the city's sanctuary ordinance.
“No one in Los Angeles should be afraid to go to work or drop their kids off”
Source → - Public Safety & Policing
Supports scaling unarmed crisis response citywide and integrating it directly into 911 dispatch.
Source → - Economy & Jobs
Wants a dedicated city film office with faster, more predictable permitting and lower fees for smaller productions.
“we've lost more than 40,000 jobs in recent years”
Source → - Environment, Energy & Climate
Wants stronger follow-through and accountability on the city's existing climate goals.
“We have lacked the systems of accountability and political will to carry out ambitious goals”
Source → - Environment, Energy & Climate
Says wildfire rebuilding has been too slow and wants a faster, clearer rebuilding plan.
“nearly 17 months since fires, still no plan for rebuilding”
Source → - Infrastructure & Transportation
Wants to deliver on transit measures voters already approved and improve street safety.
“Angelenos are tired of sitting in traffic, feeling unsafe on streets”
Source → - Economy & Jobs
Supports simplified permitting and revitalizing commercial corridors to help small businesses.
“Los Angeles is opening half as many new businesses as a decade ago”
Source → - Taxes & Cost of Living
Wants stronger fiscal management and clearer, more honest reporting on the city's budget problems.
“We have to be thinking about how we grow our property tax base.”
Source → - Government, Elections & Democracy
Supports Charter and ethics reforms to limit corruption and increase transparency at City Hall.
“We must create rules in Los Angeles that change the way in which Councilmembers operate”
Source →
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