Los Angeles mayoral candidates Bass and Raman clash in South LA forum

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and challenger Nithya Raman engaged in a contentious debate during a South Los Angeles forum ahead of the upcoming mayoral election. The candidates clashed over the city’s financial health, housing strategies, and public safety.

Raman criticized Bass for managing a budget crisis involving a roughly $1 billion deficit, specifically pointing to recent LAPD raises as a primary cause. She also accused the mayor of making politically motivated decisions regarding housing expansion. Bass defended her record, stating she inherited a profoundly dysfunctional homelessness system and argued that Raman’s claims were inaccurate.

On the issue of public safety, both candidates expressed support for expanding pilot programs that utilize unarmed social workers to respond to non-emergency 911 calls involving mental health or substance abuse. However, they differed on police department scale; Bass suggested the LAPD budget is unlikely to see cuts before the 2028 Olympics, while Raman argued the department is currently the right size.