Bass, Raman Clash in Los Angeles Mayoral Debate as 2028 Olympics and Wildfire Fallout Loom
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 14
Bass, Raman Clash in Los Angeles Mayoral Debate as 2028 Olympics and Wildfire Fallout Loom
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 14
Summary
Karen Bass and Nithya Raman traded sharp attacks in a hard-hitting Los Angeles mayoral debate Tuesday, with voting already underway in a race shaped by city trauma and political risk.
Bass, 73, argued Raman was unprepared to run the nation’s second-largest city, saying the council member lacked the experience, alliances and public-safety judgment needed with the 2028 Olympics less than two years away.
Raman, 45, countered that Bass had mismanaged Los Angeles, overspending on homelessness programs and police while failing residents during the early stages of the 2025 Palisades fire, when Bass was abroad.
The clash underscored the campaign’s central choice between Bass’s experience and Raman’s call for a fresh approach, against a backdrop of Trump administration pressure, wildfire recovery and lingering concern over homelessness and safety.