Karen Bass will leave Los Angeles City Hall after one term. On Thursday, Nov. 5, she called Councilmember Nithya Raman to concede after late ballots pushed Raman ahead, the Los Angeles Times and ABC7 reported. With about 76% of the expected vote counted that morning, Raman led 429,450 to 394,796 (52.1% to 47.9%), per county figures cited by ABC7; AP projected her the winner before noon. What happened to Karen Bass is the first incumbent L.A. mayor loss since 2005. Raman takes office Dec. 8.
What changes for you in Los Angeles
Raman’s campaign slogan was “A City That Works,” aimed at streetlights, sidewalks, potholes, and housing people can afford. Bass ran on public safety and defending the record of Inside Safe, her encampment-to-interim-housing program. For residents, the practical splits look like this, drawn from reporting by Los Angeles magazine, LAist, ABC7, and the Times:
| Issue | Under Bass | What Raman has pledged |
|---|---|---|
| Homelessness | Inside Safe clears encampments into interim housing; city figures claim thousands moved indoors, while LAHSA data cited by LAmag showed many later returned to homelessness | Keep moving people indoors, lean harder on cheaper rental aid and long-term housing, and treat encampment sweeps near schools and parks as a temporary fix |
| Housing | Executive Directive 1 sped affordable approvals, then carved out single-family and historic zones after homeowner pushback | Allow more density, including projects Bass’s amendment blocked, and keep tighter limits on short-term rentals ahead of the 2028 Olympics |
| Public safety | Budgeted hiring for hundreds of new LAPD officers and defended Chief Jim McDonnell | Hold current LAPD staffing while expanding civilian crisis responders; she said during the campaign she intended to replace McDonnell, then told ABC7 she had already spoken with him about the transition |
| City services | Bass highlighted public-safety messaging and wildfire response in her concession statement | Raman’s “City That Works” pitch centers on fixing darkened streetlights, broken sidewalks, and slow basic repairs |
None of that takes effect overnight. Raman told the Times the mayoral handoff is one of the shortest in the country for a city of about 4 million people, and she spent Thursday starting transition calls so the first 100 days have staff and priorities in place.
How a last-minute challenger beat the incumbent
Bass, 73, entered 2026 looking like a favorite without a heavyweight opponent. Reality TV personality Spencer Pratt, former schools chief Austin Beutner, and others filed, then the serious lane stayed empty until Raman entered on Feb. 7, the filing deadline, the Times reported. She had endorsed Bass only weeks earlier, LAist noted, and none of her City Council colleagues backed her mayoral bid.
In June, Bass finished first with 34% and Raman second with 29%, with Pratt third at 25.5%, NBC Los Angeles reported. The runoff stayed tight. A UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll co-sponsored by the Times shortly before Election Day had both candidates at 40% with 19% undecided. Early election-night tallies favored Bass; younger progressive voters, who tend to return mail ballots later, then flipped the lead, the Times and NBC Los Angeles reported.
Money and institutions mostly lined up behind Bass. LAist reported she had the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, the Chamber of Commerce, and the L.A. County Federation of Labor, plus heavy independent spending that included Airbnb support tied to her short-term rental stance. Raman had DSA-LA, three large unions that broke with the labor federation, more than 11,000 volunteer door-knockers, and more than $8.5 million from hedge fund manager Aaron Sosnick into ads backing her, LAist reported.
Who Nithya Raman is
Raman, 45, was born in India, moved to the United States as a child, and became a naturalized citizen at 22, according to the Times and LAist. She holds a Harvard social studies degree and an MIT master’s in urban planning. She won her Hollywood Hills-centered council seat in 2020 by beating incumbent David Ryu, then won a second term in 2024. LAist described her as L.A.’s first South Asian mayor once she is sworn in.
On Thursday evening at the Original Farmers Market, she listed homelessness, housing costs, public safety, and economic development as the four issues she heard most across neighborhoods, ABC7 reported. She also framed the win as a personal one for immigrant Angelenos at a moment when federal policy has grown harsher, language she repeated in her video statement and to reporters.
The Dec. 8 clock
Bass’s concession statement thanked supporters, listed work on encampments, housing, wildfires, and immigrant communities, and promised a “smooth and seamless transition,” the Times and ABC7 published in full. Raman answered with tribute language of her own and a pledge to earn trust from people who voted for Bass or skipped the mayor’s race.
The City Council will need a special election to fill Raman’s District 4 seat, the Times reported. Police Chief McDonnell said Thursday he respects the result and looks forward to working with the new administration, per NBC Los Angeles. The Police Protective League said its president had already called Raman and that officers want staffing levels held steady. How those talks end will shape public safety for residents well before the 2028 Olympics arrive.
FAQ
Did Karen Bass concede?
Yes. On Nov. 5 she called Raman, congratulated her, and released a statement accepting the result, according to the Los Angeles Times and ABC7.
What was the vote share?
When Bass conceded, county figures cited by ABC7 showed Raman at 52.1% (429,450 votes) and Bass at 47.9% (394,796) with about 76% of the expected vote counted. Counting continued afterward.
When does Nithya Raman become mayor?
Dec. 8, 2026, the Los Angeles Times reported, which leaves a little more than a month for the transition.
Was Bass the first L.A. mayor to lose reelection recently?
She is the first incumbent mayor defeated since 2005, when Villaraigosa beat Hahn, per the Times and NBC Los Angeles.
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Updated November 6, 2026