LOS ANGELES, CA — Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath endorsed City Councilwoman Nithya Raman Tuesday, giving Raman a boost in her bid to unseat Mayor Karen Bass in next month's election.
Horvath joined Raman for a news conference Tuesday morning at Gloria Molina Grand Park to make the announcement. Horvath represents about 2 million residents in the third supervisorial district, encompassing communities in the San Fernando Valley and Westside. She is the only county supervisor to support Raman, with her four colleagues on the Board of Supervisors throwing their support behind Bass.
On the City Council, 13 of Raman's 14 colleagues have also supported Bass, while another member, Councilwoman Traci Park, said she is voting for Bass even though she has some reservations.
Raman has picked up endorsements from City Controller Kenneth Mejia, LAUSD School Board Member Rocio Rivas, as well as former elected officials such as former Councilman and LAPD Chief Bernard Parks and former City Controller Laura Chick.
"It's been said that she (Raman) doesn't have many friends at City Hall, and I know what that feels like," Horvath told the Los Angeles Times. "When you take on institutional inertia and decades of refusal to change, that kind of shake-up can feel disruptive to people. But I think that's the kind of leadership people are clamoring for in Los Angeles right now."
Horvath was previously seen as an ally of Bass. The two eventually split in the aftermath of the January 2025 Palisades Fire. Horvath, who represents Pacific Palisades, Malibu and other areas impacted by the fire, criticized Bass over her handling of communications and other issues.
Bass has criticized the county for pulling millions of dollars out of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and moving a lot of the group's work to a new homelessness department. The incumbent had said that such a move would only create more bureaucracy and further create roadblocks for addressing homelessness.
Raman had also shared those concerns. Bass and Raman had issued a letter to the supervisors warning of disruption in the city's efforts to curtail homelessness if the county were to approve the transfer of $300 million- plus away from LAHSA.
Raman and four other council members had gone before the Board of Supervisors to urge the county not to move forward with its plan. The county ultimately approved the transfer of funds away from LAHSA.
More recently, the city and county have been fighting over control of major responsibilities overseen by LAHSA, as the joint city-county agency is expected to step down as the region's lead on homelessness response. This comes amid a larger legal battle with the federal government over the suspension of LAHSA's access U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development money.
During Tuesday's announcement, Horvath said Raman is someone the supervisors can work with despite having differences.
"By having those conversations, we'll figure out what partnership can look like, what the city needs, what the county needs, and how we can work together to make sure that we're solving this crisis for the entire region," Horvath said.
Raman echoed Horvath's sentiments.
"I am prepared to do whatever it takes to build a homelessness response system that functions for Angelenos. The outcome of the discussion so far comes from a lack of partnership between the city and county to actually flesh out the details that matter," Raman said. "To build that trust requires engagement, requires work, requires hashing out the details. I'm willing to do that work."
By Jose Herrera, City News Service
Sign up for free local newsletters and alerts for the
Los Angeles Patch
Patch.com is the nationwide leader in hyperlocal news.
Visit Patch.com to find your town today.