Nithya Raman’s entry into the 2026 Los Angeles mayoral race represents the arrival of Mamdani-style socialism to the mainstream of California politics.

As a card-carrying member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), and a current LA City Council member, Raman has positioned herself as a true progressive challenger to incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, criticizing her on housing affordability and city services.

But in pursuing the mayoralty, Raman risks turning LA into another experiment in municipal socialism gone awry, where ideological fervor trumps competence.

Raman’s career trajectory, from urban planner and activist to upset council victory in 2020, reveals a pattern of ideological purity that prioritizes socialist dogma over pragmatic solutions.

Her policies would arguably alienate allies and exacerbate crises like homelessness, crime, and fiscal strain.

At the heart of Raman’s contentious current tenure is her relationship with the DSA, including calls for abolishing prisons, defunding police, and viewing Israel as an apartheid state to be defunded and boycotted.

Raman’s DSA membership has led her to import extreme views that clash with the city’s mainstream Democratic values. Her vote against a 2023 LAPD contract, which aimed to boost pay while adding accountability, was decried as anti-police extremism, especially as her district grappled........

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