Who is Nithya Raman, the socialist to be LA’s next mayor?

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Nithya Raman will become Los Angeles’ 44th mayor after beating incumbent Karen Bass in a hard-fought battle to lead America’s second-largest city.

The 45-year-old City Council member, who’s expected to take office next month, secured victory in the November 3 election by tapping into voters’ frustrations over Bass’ tenure.

As a member of both the Democratic Socialist of America and Democratic Party, Raman has vowed to fix the homeless crisis in LA and bring in more affordable housing.

Here’s what you need to know about Raman’s background and her rise to power.

What to know about her upbringing and family

Raman was born in 1981 in Kerala, India. Her father worked a public-sector job while her mother worked for a bank in India.

When she was 6 years old, Raman moved to Lafayette, Louisiana, before relocating with her family to Burlington, Mass.

Raman is a practicing Hindu. She became a naturalized American citizen at the age of 22.

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What to know about her education

In 2003, Raman graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor’s degree in social studies.

In 2008, she earned her master’s degree in urban planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

After graduation, she went back to India to work in Delhi and Chennai as an urban planner, focusing on services like sanitation.

In 2013, she returned to the US to live in Los Angeles, where she worked for the city administrative office.

What to know about her husband

Raman is married to television writer and producer Vail Chandrasekaran.

The two met as Harvard students and tied the knot in 2010.

Chandrasekaran was born in Athens, Penn., and has worked on such TV series as “Modern Family,” “30 Rock,” and “My Name is Earl.”

The couple has 10-year-old twins, a son and a daughter. The family lives in Silver Lake. 

What to know about her career prior to running for LA mayor

After moving back to the US in 2013, Raman worked on homelessness policy in LA. 

Before running for a seat on the LA City Council, Raman worked as executive director of Time’s Up Entertainment, which grew out of the #MeToo movement and focused on workplace sexual harassment and abuse.

In 2019, Marie Claire described Raman as one of the “women revolutionizing Hollywood” for her work with the group.

“So many of the abuses that we have seen have emerged from the incredible imbalances of power in the industry,” Raman told the outlet. “I want to see a future where all workers in the industry are empowered to challenge abuses and seek justice, no matter who they are and where they work.”

Homelessness in her Silver Lake led Raman to politics, first with the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council Homeless Committee and late while co-founding the nonprofit homeless coalition SELAH.

In 2020, she won the fourth district seat on the LA City Council, making her the first outsider to beat an incumbent in 17 years. She was reelected in 2024.