DSA-backed Los Angeles Councilmember Nithya Raman is taking on her buddy Karen Bass in this year’s mayoral race.
Raman, the first member of the council elected with the endorsement of Democratic Socialists of America, announced her candidacy on Saturday, just hours before the filing deadline, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Raman has applauded Bass’s leadership through the years and called her an “icon,” but said she wants “big changes.”
“I have deep respect for Mayor Bass. We’ve worked closely together on my biggest priorities and her biggest priorities, and there’s significant alignment there,” Raman told the Times.
“But over the last few months in particular, I’ve really begun to feel like unless we have some big changes in how we do things in Los Angeles, that the things we count on are not going to function anymore.”
Raman announced her mayoral candidacy just hours before the noon filing deadline on Saturday.
