L.A. mayoral candidates participate in runoff debate
SHERMAN OAKS, Calif. (NBC, KYMA) - L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and City Councilmember Nithya Raman faced off in their first debate Wednesday ahead of the November election.
Mayor Bass and Councilmember Raman sparred over some of the city's biggest challenges, including homelessness, policing and City Hall records.
Boisterous on the outside as supporters of both candidates raised voices while inside, Bass and Raman raised concerns about each other.
"You've been the the mayor for four years and the results have not changed, the results are visible on our streets the evidence is very clear we need to have started these changes many years ago in order for them to be realized today," Raman said.
"You have been on the city council for six years, you've been with the city twice as long as I have, I realize you want to pit yourself as someone from the outside, but where were you?" Bass retorted. "As a matter of fact I believe you have missed several thousand votes because you don't show up to work."
During the debate, Bass and Raman were asked about homelessness as it was a major topic.
"In our district office, we have a 70% reduction in our RV'S tents and encampments," Raman shared.
"We have to end street homelessness, we have get people off the streets immediately into more cost effective housing," Bass added.
Public safety was also on the table, with the moderator asking Raman if she'll either fire or replace LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, to which she said, "I don't believe his response to ICE raids on our streets have met the moment, LAPD on our streets was often seen to be protecting ICE officers."
Bass responded to Raman's answer saying, "You have a lot of nerve talking about the hiring of police officers when we finally reached the point where we had a decent size class, and you voted against it."
Also during the debate, Raman defended hiring the advertising agency used by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Graham Platner, the Maine Senate candidate who dropped out after a sexual assault allegation.
"We have to get talent to be able to run our team, we weighed the issues, but I also do want to say but in this mayor's innermost circle, she had communication advisors who were on her WhatsApp chats who were also at the same time that the fire was burning in Boyle Heights, were doing crisis PR consulting for lineage where the fire was happening," Raman spoke.
"If I had known that person was doing that, that person would not have been advising me. When I realized it found out about it, they stopped advising me," Bass responded.
