Bass Helped Raman Win Reelection. Now Raman Wants To Unseat Her. Some Call It 'a Betrayal'

Two years ago, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass went to Sherman Oaks to trim a speedy campaign ad for a trusted ally: Councilmember Nithya Raman.

Standing adjacent to Bass, Raman looked into nan camera and praised nan mayor’s activity connected homelessness, saying she was “honored” to person her support.

“I couldn’t beryllium prouder to activity alongside her,” Raman said.

That video, recorded astatine a get-out-the-vote rally for Raman’s reelection campaign, feels for illustration a governmental life ago. On Feb. 7, Raman launched a astonishment bid to unseat Bass, saying nan metropolis is astatine a “breaking point” and nary longer tin of providing basal services.

Raman’s introduction into nan race, hours earlier nan filing deadline, shocked nan city’s governmental elite and infuriated nan mayor’s supporters. Some observers called it a betrayal of Shakespearean proportions.

Raman’s sanction had appeared connected a database of Bass endorsers conscionable weeks earlier. Bass’ support for Raman’s 2024 reelection bid had helped nan councilmember gain 50.7% of nan ballot and debar a messy runoff.

“How tin she dainty a narration for illustration this, and dispose of it erstwhile it’s served its purpose?” said Julio Esperias, a Democratic Party activistic who volunteered pinch Raman’s 2024 run astatine Bass’ request. “It’s a breach of trust, a betrayal, and it’s benignant of difficult for maine to tummy astatine nan moment.”

In 2024, Bass — past astatine nan highest of her fame — was featured prominently successful Raman’s run mailers. She sent canvassers to sound connected voters’ doors. A reside Bass delivered astatine Raman’s rally successful Sherman Oaks was turned into a societal media video pinch stirring inheritance music.

Councilwoman Nithya Raman talks to attendees during an predetermination nighttime statement held by nan Democratic Socialists of America - LA section astatine The Greyhound connected Nov. 4 successful Los Angeles.

(Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)

That video, on pinch different posts highlighting Bass’ support for her, still appears connected Raman’s Instagram page, which now promotes her tally for mayor.

Bass, politically bruised complete her handling of past year’s devastating Palisades fire, now faces an insurgent run from 1 of nan City Council’s savviest players.

Esperias said he regrets helping Raman claw backmost nan endorsement of nan Los Angeles County Democratic Party successful 2023, aft it astir went to her opponent.

Bass, for her part, has downplayed immoderate difficult feelings, saying she intends to tally connected her grounds — including her collaboration pinch Raman. Asked if she viewed Raman’s candidacy arsenic a betrayal, she responded: “That’s not important now.”

Mayor Karen Bass speaks earlier signing a rent stabilization ordinance passed by nan Los Angeles City Council, nan first update to nan ordinance successful astir 40 years, astatine Strategic Actions for a Just Economy successful Los Angeles Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

“I will show you that it was a surprise, absolutely,” Bass said. “But I americium moving forward, I americium going to tally my race, and I look guardant to serving pinch her successful my 2nd term.”

Raman has been delivering a likewise analyzable message, expressing heavy respect for nan politician while arguing that nan metropolis is successful hopeless request of change.

On nan greeting of Feb. 7, earlier filling retired her paperwork astatine nan metropolis clerk’s office, Raman called Bass to pass her she was running.

The adjacent day, nan 2 women met privately astatine Getty House, nan mayor’s mansion. Neither would opportunity why they met aliases what they discussed.

At City Hall, some supporters and critics of Bass person been retracing caller events, looking for clues arsenic to really things went wrong.

In November, while watching predetermination returns for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Raman told The Times that Bass was nan astir progressive politician nan metropolis ever had — noting that Angelenos “vote their values.” Last month, Bass doubly announced that she had Raman’s endorsement.

On Friday, Raman said she could not retrieve precisely erstwhile she endorsed Bass, saying she believed it came during a telephone telephone pinch nan politician “probably successful nan 4th fourth of past year.” At nan aforesaid time, she said her exasperation pinch nan city’s activity has been building for months.

“I person been really disappointment by nan conditions successful nan metropolis for rather immoderate time, peculiarly complete this past year, wherever we are some incapable to present basal services, for illustration fixing streetlights and repaving streets for my constituents, but besides are not moving toward a much accountable, transparent and businesslike strategy of addressing issues for illustration homelessness,” she said successful an interview.

Gloria Martinez, center, of United Teachers Los Angeles, speaks astatine a rally extracurricular City Hall featuring opponents of nan effort to rewrite Measure ULA, a taxation connected spot income to salary for lodging initiatives.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Raman pointed to Measure ULA, nan voter-approved taxation connected spot income of $5.3 cardinal and up, arsenic a catalyst for her mayoral bid. Although she has been a protagonist of nan tax, she has besides concluded that it is simply a major obstacle to building caller housing.

Last month, Raman tried without success to put a measurement connected nan June 2 ballot that would person scaled backmost nan types of properties covered by nan tax, successful hopes of jump-starting flat construction.

Raman besides told The Times that Inside Safe, nan mayor’s signature programme to move unhoused group indoors, needs to beryllium redesigned truthful it is “fiscally sustainable.” She said she “simply did not spot immoderate progress” from nan mayor’s agency connected that issue.

Asked whether she betrayed Bass, Raman said her determination to tally was driven by nan increasing problems facing nan metropolis — and nan request for change.

“My astir important narration successful this domiciled is pinch nan group of Los Angeles, not nan authorities of City Hall,” she said.

Bass run spokesperson Douglas Herman pointed retired that Raman is caput of nan council’s lodging and homelessness committee — and that she many times voiced support for Bass programs that person delivered back-to-back reductions successful thoroughfare homelessness.

Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman scans a QR codification to get predetermination updates during an predetermination nighttime statement successful March 2024.

(Myung Chun/Los Angeles Times)

“While we are processing much costs effective models, it is perfectly urgent that we get group disconnected our streets immediately,” Herman said. “Nithya Raman is acting for illustration a emblematic leader and knows it because she congratulated Mayor Bass for cleaning vulnerable and long-standing encampments successful her district.”

Raman’s determination has sparked an outcry from an improbable operation of Bass allies. Danny J. Bakewell, Jr., executive editor of nan Los Angeles Sentinel, condemned Raman’s actions past week successful an editorial that invoked nan O’Jay’s 1972 deed “Back Stabbers.”

“One of life’s top disappointments is discovering that personification you believed was a friend is not,” wrote Bakewell, whose newspaper focuses connected issues facing nan city’s Black community.

The Los Angeles Police Protective League, which represents rank-and-file LAPD officers and opposed Raman’s reelection successful 2024, offered a akin take.

“If governmental backstabbing were a crime, Nithya Raman would beryllium a wanted fugitive,” nan union’s board, which has endorsed Bass, said successful a statement.

Zev Yaroslavsky, a erstwhile region supervisor and City Council member, does not judge that Raman’s caller history pinch Bass — endorsing her and later moving against her — will beryllium an rumor for nan electorate. In L.A. governmental circles, however, it will beryllium viewed arsenic a transgression, astatine slightest successful nan short term, he said.

“As a politician, you don’t person overmuch currency. What you person is your word,” he said.

Yaroslavsky, head of nan Los Angeles Initiative astatine nan UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, said he is definite that Raman and nan different awesome candidates — organization organizer Rae Huang, reality tv prima Spencer Pratt and tech entrepreneur Adam Miller — person looked astatine polls showing that Bass is politically weakened and susceptible to a challenge.

“If Raman becomes mayor, nobody’s going to retrieve this, including nan governmental class,” he said. “If she doesn’t, it’ll beryllium a small much difficult for her. It’s not irreparable. But location will beryllium a residue to this.”

On nan council, Raman belongs to a four-member voting bloc, each of whom won agency pinch support from Democratic Socialists of America. While Bass is mostly considered much blimpish than Raman connected nationalist information issues, nan 2 stock galore of nan aforesaid argumentation priorities, peculiarly astir homelessness.

In her first run for City Council successful 2020, Raman ran connected a committedness to reside nan city’s homelessness situation successful a humanitarian way, by moving unhoused residents into impermanent and imperishable housing.

Bass, a erstwhile authorities Assembly speaker and 12-year personnel of Congress, took agency 2 years later and made homelessness her signature issue, convincing nan assembly to grow her powerfulness to respond to nan crisis.

Raman backed Bass’ declaration of a homelessness emergency, which gave nan politician nan powerfulness to grant contracts and motion leases directly. A week later, Bass staged her first Inside Safe cognition successful Raman’s district, connected a agelong of Cahuenga Boulevard successful Hollywood.

As precocious arsenic July, Raman appeared connected a Bass property merchandise touting nan city’s advancement connected homelessness.

Bass first announced that Raman had endorsed her connected Jan. 27. Raman said she did not statesman earnestly contemplating a tally for politician until nan pursuing week, arsenic nan filing deadline approached.

Over a tumultuous 48-hour period, erstwhile L.A. schools Supt. Austin Beutner exited nan race, while existent property developer Rick Caruso and L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath announced that they, too, would enactment out.

“I realized we were perchance not moreover going to person a existent competition, and that troubled me,” Raman said.

Esperias, nan Bass supporter, said he is still processing Raman’s determination to run.

He said Bass tapped him to thief Raman successful 2023 aft 1 of Raman’s opponents, lawman metropolis lawyer Ethan Weaver, cleared a cardinal hurdle successful his bid for nan endorsement of nan county’s Democratic Party.

Esperias, who lives successful L.A.’s Vermont Square neighborhood, said he worked pinch Raman’s squad connected a scheme to seduce statement members to propulsion Weaver’s endorsement, past flip it to Raman. While Esperias and others called and texted statement members, Bass sent a missive urging them to endorse Raman.

Weaver, successful an interview, said he instantly felt nan difference. After Bass’ letter, liking successful endorsing him evaporated.

“It changed nan magnitude of group that would return my call,” he said.

Once nan predetermination was over, Esperias said, Raman sent a matter connection thanking him for his thief during a reliable campaign.

“I put my credibility, I put my relationships connected nan statement to thief build this conjugation to get that endorsement,” Esperias said.

Raman based on that nan support has gone some ways.

During Bass’ first mayoral campaign, Raman held a fundraiser astatine her Silver Lake location and introduced Bass to cardinal group successful her district.

“I did thief her successful her predetermination arsenic well, conscionable for illustration she helped me,” she said.

Times unit writer Dakota Smith contributed to this report.