Nithya V. Raman (born July 28, 1981) is an American urban planner, activist, and politician serving as the Los Angeles city councilmember for the 4th district since 2020. Raman, a member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of America, defeated incumbent councilmember David Ryu in 2020 and was re-elected in 2024.
📅 Early Life and Education
Nithya Raman was born into a Tamil family in Kerala, India, and moved to Louisiana at 6 years old. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political theory (Social Studies) from Harvard University then a master’s degree in urban planning from MIT. Raman became a naturalized American citizen at the age of 22.
💼 Career Before City Council
After living in the United States for many years, Raman returned to India and founded the research firm Transparent Chennai. The firm’s goal was to improve sanitation in the city of Chennai. In 2013, Raman moved to Los Angeles and worked for the city administrative officer of Los Angeles. In 2017, Raman founded and headed SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition, a homelessness outreach nonprofit in Los Angeles; she also served as the executive director of Time’s Up Entertainment.
🗳️ 2020 City Council Campaign
Raman declared her candidacy for the Los Angeles City Council in 2019, citing the issue of homelessness as being central to her decision to run. Raman’s candidacy was largely fueled by grassroots volunteers, whom she claims knocked on more than 70,000 doors before the March primary. Ground Game LA, which formed following former Green Party-endorsed candidate Jessica Salans’ defeat by Mitch O’Farrell in the 13th district in 2017, was credited with helping her campaign win.
📋 Platform and Pledges
Raman’s platform included proposed reforms to Los Angeles’ housing and homelessness policy, “a new approach to public safety,” and a climate change plan that she claims will get Los Angeles to carbon neutrality by 2030. She has signed the Participatory Budget Pledge, an initiative put forward by Black Lives Matter LA which expresses a commitment to “holding a participatory budgeting process each budget cycle I hold elected office.”
🏆 2020 Election Victory
In the March 3, 2020 primary, Raman faced incumbent David Ryu and screenwriter Sarah Kate Levy. Ryu received 32,298 votes (44.4%), Raman received 31,502 votes (40.8%), and Sarah Kate Levy received 10,860 votes (14.1%). In the November 2020 runoff election, Raman defeated Ryu by a 52.87% to 47.13% margin. Raman’s victory was described as a “political earthquake” by the Los Angeles Times.
🔄 2024 Re-election
In 2024, Raman was challenged by Ethan Weaver, a Deputy City Attorney who received support from local landlords, business groups, and police and firefighter unions. She won the election in the primary in March 2024, skipping a November runoff by winning 50.6% of the vote outright, versus 38.6% for Weaver, her nearest opponent.
🏠 Housing and Homelessness Policy
In April 2021, Raman proposed amendments to a draft ordinance on tenant harassment. The amendments classified cash buyout offers and threats to report false information to law enforcement as forms of harassment, and included a rent adjustment penalty, which would prevent landlords who violate the ordinance from raising a unit’s rent. In 2021 and 2022, Raman was one of three councilmembers to vote against L.A.M.C. Section 41.18, a city ordinance that banned homeless encampments within 500 feet of schools and daycare centers. In November 2025, city council passed a motion authored by Raman that capped maximum annual rent increase for rent-stabilized apartments, which house nearly half of the city’s residents, at 4%.
⚖️ Recall Attempt and Redistricting Controversy
In June 2021, Raman was served with a recall notice after only six months in office. In September 2021 the recall campaign collapsed when proponents announced that they were unable to collect the required number of signatures within the allotted time. A leaked recording between Council President Nury Martinez, Councilmembers Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo, as well as Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera revealed the group’s plan to use redistricting to oust Raman. After the conversation was leaked, Raman introduced a measure to ask voters to change the city charter so that redistricting would be handled by an independent commission.
🚨 Arrest and Board Appointment
In June 2023, during a protest led by UNITE HERE Local 11 to support local hotel workers, the Los Angeles Police Department arrested Raman after she refused to disperse. On February 1, 2022, Raman was appointed to the board of the South Coast Air Quality Management District by Mayor of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti. Shortly after she declared her candidacy for mayor in February 2026, it was revealed that Mayor Bass had removed Raman from the board a month prior.
🏙️ 2026 Mayoral Campaign
Raman is running for mayor of Los Angeles in the 2026 election. Raman advanced in the primary to challenge the incumbent, Karen Bass, in the general election. On February 7, 2026, Raman announced that she would challenge incumbent Karen Bass in the 2026 Los Angeles mayoral election. Raman’s campaign largely focused on increasing housing production in Los Angeles, improving city services, and revitalizing Los Angeles’s film industry. On election night, Raman initially trailed former reality television star Spencer Pratt by over eight percent. Seven days after polls closed, Raman overtook Pratt for second place, and the Associated Press, NBC News, and CNN projected that she would advance to the runoff the next day.
🌍 Foreign Policy and Other Votes
In response to the September 2022 Armenia–Azerbaijan clashes, Raman issue a statement “stand[ing] with the Armenian community in Los Angeles, and with Armenians worldwide, in strongly condemning Azerbaijan’s unprovoked military attacks against civilians.” In November 2023, Raman adjourned a city council meeting to memorialize “the many civilian lives that have now been lost in Gaza.” In June 2024, she and Councilmembers Hernandez and Soto-Martinez introduced a municipal resolution to call for an “immediate and permanent ceasefire” in Gaza. In August 2025, Raman voted against a city council resolution to formally oppose California Senate Bill 79, a bill which overrides local zoning to allow multifamily housing near transit stops.
| Year | Event | Outcome | Key Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | City Council Primary | Advanced to runoff | Received 40.8% of vote |
| 2020 | City Council Runoff | Defeated David Ryu | Won 52.87% to 47.13% |
| 2024 | City Council Primary | Won outright | Won 50.6% of vote |
| 2026 | Mayoral Primary | Advanced to runoff | Overtook Spencer Pratt for second place |