Incumbent Mayor Karen Bass’ rival, lefty Councilwoman Nithya Raman, detailed why she decided to run for Los Angeles mayor and no longer back her one-time political ally, whom she endorsed in 2022.

“We were just talking about my children, and I have been so frustrated with the direction of things here in Los Angeles,” Raman told KTLA in a wide-ranging interview Tuesday, her first extended sit-down since advancing to the November runoff against Bass.

“And I just decided that I couldn’t afford to wait another four years for change to come. If we wanted to see change in Los Angeles, there wasn’t another candidate getting into the race,” she added.

Raman, 44, said she had initially been among the many Angelenos who backed Bass in 2022, but grew increasingly disillusioned with City Hall as residents continued to grapple with soaring living costs, homelessness and deteriorating city services.

Bass faced strident criticism for her handling of the deadly 2025 LA wildfires.

“Like many voters who supported Mayor Bass, I also had supported her,” Raman said. “I felt an increasing sense of frustration with the direction of things here in Los Angeles.”

She added that voters are increasingly worried “about the cost of living, about addressing our homelessness crisis, about delivering basic services.”

“These are the issues that feel urgent for Angelenos and I want to address them urgently,” Raman continued.

The self-described agent of change said she decided to jump into the race because she didn’t see anyone else willing to challenge the status quo.

“I wanted to push forward and be that candidate of change, who is talking about the issues that I hear about every single day, both on the campaign trail and in my council office,” said Raman, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. 

The interview marked Raman’s first major media appearance since she edged out former mayoral hopeful and reality TV star Spencer Pratt for second place in the primary, setting up a high-stakes showdown with Bass this fall.

The councilwoman used the interview to sharpen her criticism of the incumbent, accusing Bass of mismanaging city finances, failing to provide adequate oversight of homelessness programs and presiding over declining public services.

“This mayor has led us into a fiscal hole that has reduced services for every single resident of the city,” Raman said while discussing the city’s crumbling streets and infrastructure. “We need change. We need better infrastructure. We need to be able to address homelessness and repave our streets.” 

Raman faces an uphill climb as she attempts to unseat Bass.

With 99% of precincts reporting, Bass led the primary with 290,761 votes, or 34.3%, while Raman secured 245,490 votes, or 29%.

Pratt finished a close third with more than 216,000 votes, leaving a sizable bloc of voters up for grabs as the two Democrats pivot toward November and compete for independents and moderate voters. 

The next mayor of Los Angeles will be leading the second-largest city in the United States with a budget of nearly $15 billion. They will oversee preparations for the LA28 Olympic Games, which are coming to the city in less than two years, while also managing a complex and often tense relationship between the city and the federal government amid increased immigration-related tensions.