Los Angeles mayoral race intensifies as Nithya Raman attacks Karen Bass over homelessness and fire response

City‑council member Nithya Raman has sharply criticized Mayor Karen Bass for the city’s handling of a recent Boyle Heights fire and a rise in homelessness, saying the current approach is ineffective. Raman noted that street homelessness, which had fallen in recent years, is now up 3.4% and argued that Bass’s reliance on costly programs such as Inside Safe beds—priced at about $100,000 per person per year—fails to deliver results.

Raman proposes using “time‑limited subsidies,” short‑term rental vouchers that cost roughly $29,000 per year and have a 75% success rate in keeping people housed. The former ally of Bass, aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America, is now her challenger in a November runoff, positioning herself as a candidate who will bring greater urgency to the city’s housing crisis.

The race pits Raman’s policy‑focused platform against Bass’s record, which highlighted a prior drop in homelessness but now faces scrutiny amid rising costs of living and reduced federal funding.