Los Angeles mayoral race pits Bass's fast-track housing plan against Raman's tenant protections

As the Los Angeles mayoral contest nears its end, incumbent Karen Bass and councilmember Nithya Raman clash over solutions to the city’s soaring housing costs. Bass points to her early-term Executive Directive 1, which fast-tracked 100% affordable projects and has placed tens of thousands of units in the pipeline, as well as tax-reduction efforts and the Adaptive Reuse Ordinance. Raman, a former chair of the Housing and Homelessness Committee, stresses tenant-focused measures such as just-cause evictions and a 4% rent-increase cap, while urging reforms to the Measure ULA tax that now burdens apartment developers.

Their differing endorsements reflect this split: construction and trade groups back Bass, whereas YIMBY and tenant-rights coalitions support Raman. The debate also covered short-term rental restrictions ahead of the 2028 Olympics and the broader identity debate between single-family and multifamily development. Both candidates argue the other lacks the record or vision to deliver affordable housing for Angelenos.