Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman is urging Mayor Karen Bass to broaden their combative mayoral contest by participating in additional television debates ahead of the November 3 general election. Raman criticized Bass for declining invitations to several televised forums, noting that voters deserve a transparent, thorough discussion concerning the city’s mounting problems as personal attacks between the two campaigns intensify.
Raman’s campaign reported that she has agreed to multiple multi-network debate proposals, including events hosted by NBC4 and Telemundo 52, CBS2 and KNX, ABC7 and Univision 34, and KTLA5 and CNN. Conversely, Bass’s camp has committed to a single televised debate on October 12 co-hosted by NBC4 and Telemundo 52. Raman’s team stressed that Angelynos face severe structural crises ranging from homelessness and soaring housing costs to public safety and deteriorating municipal infrastructure and require substantive debates to evaluate competing platforms.
Bass Campaign Responds and Targets Voting Record:
The incumbent mayor’s campaign pushed back against the criticism, turning the focus onto Raman’s own legislative record and municipal attendance. Campaign representatives argued that Mayor Bass is actively focused on making Los Angeles safer and more affordable, while accusing Raman of utilizing her city council seat for campaigning rather than fulfilling her elected duties.
The political friction follows an intense debate in Sherman Oaks, where Bass targeted Raman over missing nearly 3,000 council votes since taking office. Following the clash, the Bass campaign launched a dedicated platform tracking the councilwoman’s voting statistics sourced from City Clerk records. Raman’s team dismissed the attacks as desperate, firing back that the focus on absences is ironic coming from a leader who faced intense scrutiny over her absence during major city emergencies.
