Karen Bass and Nithya Raman Bring L.A.’s Mayor Race to South Central
Karen Bass speaks at the South LA mayoral forum at A Place Called Home. (Photo by Oscar Bracho / Bracho Media)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA- Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Councilwoman Nithya Raman brought their competing approaches to housing, homelessness and public safety to a South Central, Los Angeles mayoral forum on October 3, giving residents another chance to assess the candidates before the November 3 election.
The South Central forum also featured Los Angeles City Council District 9 candidates Jose Ugarte and Estuardo Mazariegos, who face each other in the November 3 runoff to succeed Councilmember Curren Price. Their appearance brought another consequential LA race into the discussion: either candidate’s election would mark the end of 63 years of Black representation in the CD9 seat. For Black residents, the transition raises questions about how the next councilmember will preserve their influence in decisions affecting housing, neighborhood services and community institutions.
The setting carried particular significance. Council District 9 encompasses communities shaped by generations of African American and Latino history, including the historic Central Avenue corridor, once a major center of Black Culture and West Coast Jazz. Today, the district reflects South Los Angeles’ evolving demographics while remaining an important arena for questions of representation and political power.
The candidates appeared separately at A Place Called Home. The youth and community organization hosted the event at its South Central Avenue campus, with English and Spanish interpretation. A Place Called Home itself has served South Central youth and families since 1993, following the 1992 Los Angeles civil unrest.
Raman called for denser housing across Los Angeles, including wealthier neighborhoods near transit. Her argument was that lower-income communities should not bear a disproportionate share of the city’s housing growth.
Bass warned that new development can displace existing residents and emphasized income-restricted housing. She also expressed opposition to the scale of development allowed near rail stops under Senate Bill 79.
Both candidates supported expanding the city’s pilot use of unarmed social workers for non-emergency 911 calls. On homelessness administration, Bass advocated a city-controlled structure to replace the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority’s role for the city. Raman supported a new city bureau and pledged an early audit.
The forum placed citywide policy arguments in a South Central setting. The next test is whether the candidates can connect those arguments to specific neighborhood needs, a budget and a public timetable.
Voters should review their own sample ballot and voting options through the Los Angeles County election information hub. City of Los Angeles mayoral voting is a city contest; county residents’ ballots vary by where they live.
Related VOBLA coverage: Read about Black clergy’s gathering with Mayor Bass and follow our local politics coverage.
