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LOS ANGELES () — Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass conceded to Councilmember Nithya Raman in the L.A. mayoral race on Thursday, two days after the election.
The Associated Press also projected that Raman was the winner shortly before noon.
The latest figures released by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s office showed Raman with 429,450 votes, or 52.1%, while Bass had 394,796 votes, or 47.9%. As of Thursday morning, Raman had a 34,654-vote lead in the tally.
Mayor-elect Nithya Raman pledged to tackle homelessness, housing costs and public safety while vowing to earn the trust of all Angelenos in delivered remarks after her victory in the L.A. mayor’s race.
Raman delivered remarks Thursday evening at the Original Farmers Market in the Fairfax district as mayor-elect where she thanked volunteers and pledged to work hard to earn the trust of all Angelenos.
“The key priorities that we’ve heard across this entire city are: homelessness, housing costs, public safety and economic development. These are the issues that are the four top issues on the mind across every neighborhood,” Raman said. “These will have to be the priorities that I take on in City Hall.”
“My goal is to make sure that we’re doing the work to actually have a City Hall that is capable of delivering on the promises that I made during the campaign” Raman continued.
“This city has given me and my family so much. And at a time when in the federal government, over the past two years, we’ve seen a country that has rejected immigrants… this city has opened its arms to people to come and build their dreams here. And the idea that Angelenos voted for an immigrant to be their next mayor, at this moment in American history, is so deeply moving to me. And I want to tell every single Angeleno out there, I am going to work so hard… to earn your trust.”
Raman was asked about LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, whom she had said during her campaign had intentions of firing.
“I have spoken to leadership at LAPD already, in fact, I’m speaking to Chief McDonnell, I spoke to him earlier today and it was one of the first calls that I made because public safety is the most important service that the city is delivering to its people… and I want to make sure that whatever happens over this transition that we are prepared to deliver that service at the level that Angelenos expect when I take office in mid-December and I know Chief McDonnell is committed to that, I’m committed to that, and we’ll continue those discussions.”
In Thursday’s remarks, Raman praised Bass and promised a smooth transition, saying: “We also committed to working together on the smoothest possible transition for Angelenos. We love this city. We want to make it an incredible, incredible place into the future.”
L.A.’s new mayor-elect, Nithya Raman, shared her first statement since her victory, thanking her supporters while also paying tribute to Karen Bass.
Raman issued the following statement in a video posted to social media earlier in the day, thanking her supporters while also paying tribute to Bass:
“Los Angeles, I am deeply honored to be your next mayor. Thank you to the thousands of people who knocked on doors, sent texts, made phone calls, convinced their neighbors to believe in the promise of this big, beautiful, joyful city that we get to call home. I also wanted to pay tribute to Mayor Karen Bass. Someone who has given decades of her life to making this city what it is today. From her time as an emergency room nurse, to starting community coalition, to her leadership in Sacramento and DC, and then becoming the first woman mayor of Los Angeles. She has served Los Angeles for so many decades and I know so many people not just across this city but across this country are grateful for her dedication to the promise of Los Angeles. To every voter out there who voted for Mayor Bass or chose not to vote in this election at all. Please know this: I am going to City Hall to work every single day to earn your trust and to earn your trust in this city again. And that work starts now so that we can build housing that people can afford, parks for our children to play in, a transit system that can get people where they need to go, a city that is safe for its working people and its families and a city government that is capable of delivering on its promises. I love this city and its people and I cannot wait to get started on building a better future together with all of you. Thank you so much, Los Angeles.”
Bass issued the following statement when she conceded on Thursday, highlighting some of her accomplishments as mayor while also committing to a smooth transition:
“Four years ago, you elected me as the first Black woman mayor in the history of Los Angeles. You gave me the honor of serving the city that raised me, and every single day since, I have carried that responsibility with me.
I want to start by saying thank you. To my supporters, volunteers, brothers and sisters in labor, community and faith leaders, business leaders and elected officials, and the young people who brought so much energy to this effort: thank you. To my family, who stood beside me through every challenge and every long night: I could not do this without you.
Over the past four years, we have taken on some of the most difficult challenges facing any major American city. Coming out of the pandemic, when encampments lined our streets and businesses were trying to reopen – we got Angelenos off the streets, made our neighborhoods safer, built more affordable housing, and created new opportunities for working families. We stood together through devastating wildfires and protected our immigrant communities when Donald Trump sent federal troops into our streets to spread fear and intimidation. That progress belongs to all of us.
While this is not the outcome we hoped for, the people of Los Angeles have spoken. I have called Councilmember Nithya Raman to congratulate her on her victory, and I have committed to ensuring a smooth and seamless transition. Moving this city forward is what Los Angeles needs from all of us.
I love Los Angeles. I believe in Los Angeles. And I will continue to ensure the promise of a better life belongs to all of us. Thank you.”
Raman spent the final hours before Election Day making closing arguments to voters as polls showed the two candidates running neck-and-neck among likely voters.
Raman urged voters to back her campaign, saying she is running because of her commitment to the city.
“Do you love Los Angeles?” Raman asked a cheering crowd. “I’m here. I’m running for mayor because I love this city so much.”
In her final appeal, Raman argued that Los Angeles is in worse condition than it was four years ago and pointed to ongoing infrastructure and homelessness challenges.
“We are worse off than we were four years ago — 30,000 street lights are out, sidewalks are broken, hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on homelessness, and homelessness went up last year, under the mayor’s signature program. Los Angeles is ready for change,” Raman said.
Raman’s victory has implications beyond the city limits, with Los Angeles preparing to host the 2028 Olympic Games.
Nationally, Raman’s election as mayor places her in the vanguard of democratic socialists in municipal government. In addition to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Janeese Lewis George was elected Tuesday as mayor of Washington, D.C., after running practically unopposed, and Katie Wilson is mayor in Seattle.
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