LOS ANGELES, CA – Mayor Karen Bass and City Councilmember Nithya Raman traded sharp criticism over public safety, homelessness and the city’s fire responses Tuesday night in what is expected to be their only televised head-to-head debate before the Nov. 3 runoff for Los Angeles mayor.
The hourlong debate aired live from 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13, from Universal City. Bass is seeking a second term, and Raman represents Council District 4. According to the Los Angeles City Clerk’s municipal elections page, the Nov. 3 general election also includes the City Attorney race, Council Districts 3 and 9 and city measures.
Bass portrayed her challenger as not ready to lead the city. She said Raman has “a tendency to take different positions on different days of the week” and has struggled to work collaboratively at City Hall. “Now is not the time to turn the city over to Nithya Raman,” Bass said.
Raman said the mayor had been “missing in action” during the January 2025 Palisades fire and the more recent Lineage warehouse fire in Boyle Heights. She said City Hall is experiencing “a crisis of trust” and that the city cannot afford another four years of decline, mismanagement and excuses.
Bass and Raman were the top two finishers in the June 2 primary. Bass received about 34% of the vote and Raman about 29%, with reality television personality Spencer Pratt third. Several polls since the primary have put Raman in first place; polls are snapshots of voter preferences during a specific period, not predictions of the result.
McDonnell dominates the exchange
Some of the sharpest moments centered on Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell, whom Bass appointed to lead the department in 2024. The City Council confirmed McDonnell in November 2024, as the Mayor’s Office announced at the time. Raman was among the council majority who voted to confirm him.
Seated across from Bass, Raman called for McDonnell to be replaced. She said he has lost the trust of Angelenos, and that the LAPD appeared to be protecting federal immigration agents during their operations in Los Angeles, which she said strikes fear in immigrant communities.
Pressed by a moderator on whether she would replace the chief before the 2028 Summer Olympics, Raman declined to give a timeline. She said the decision is not the mayor’s alone and requires agreement with the Police Commission and the council.
Bass warns of disarray before the Olympics
Bass said removing the chief before the Games would send the department into “disarray.” She said 640 days remain until the 2028 Olympics.
The mayor also said it is within a mayor’s power to fire the police chief. She told Raman she did not think her opponent had any idea what it takes to identify a new chief.
Raman’s answer was that any change would have to move through the city’s oversight bodies rather than happen on her sole authority.
How the chief can be removed
The LAPD is overseen by the five-member Board of Police Commissioners, whose civilian members are appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the council. Under the City Charter, those commissioners have the power to remove the chief at any time before the chief’s term expires.
Neither the LAPD nor the Police Commission had issued a statement on the debate or on the question of replacing McDonnell as of Wednesday.
Instagram video draws accusation of dishonesty
Bass criticized Raman over an Instagram video posted last week in which Raman criticized McDonnell and used the phrase “only you can stop fascist liars.” Raman has said an influencer edited her remarks in a way that distorted her message.
Raman said Tuesday that her campaign took the video down once it realized it had been mis-edited, and that it was up for perhaps an hour or two. She acknowledged an error but said she would never imply that the city, the mayor or the police chief is fascist.
Bass accused Raman of dishonesty. She said the episode made her wonder whether Raman understood the word and showed that her opponent was “not ready for prime time.”
Homelessness figures frame Inside Safe debate
The candidates also clashed over Inside Safe, the mayor’s program to bring people living outdoors into interim housing. Bass credited the program for declines in several council districts and acknowledged the 3.4% citywide increase in homelessness.
That figure comes from the 2026 count, which the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority published July 24. According to the agency’s count results, the city of Los Angeles had an estimated 45,194 people experiencing homelessness, including about 29,115 who were unsheltered. Countywide, the estimate rose 1.2% to 73,040 people.
Raman called Inside Safe an “incredibly expensive program” that has been “unaccountable to the public.” She said her district saw nearly a 50% reduction, and her council office said in a news release that unsheltered homelessness in Council District 4 declined 49% between 2025 and 2026.
Palisades fire response revisited
Raman renewed her criticism of Bass’s absence during the January 2025 Palisades fire. Bass apologized for being in Ghana when the fire broke out. She said the city is better prepared under new Fire Chief Jaime Moore.
Raman pledged to provide evacuation support and emergency information in multiple languages.
The Los Angeles Fire Department released its After-Action Review Report on Oct. 8, 2025, covering the first 36 hours of the department’s response to the Palisades Fire. The release came in coordination with the U.S. Department of Justice after the arrest of suspect Jonathan Rinderknecht.
Los Angeles County also compiles after-action reviews and reports on the Eaton and Palisades fires. They include a second McChrystal Group report, released in September 2026, with 26 findings and 25 recommendations.
Lineage fire and the city’s response
Raman also cited the Lineage cold storage warehouse fire in Boyle Heights, which broke out June 17, as an example of the mayor’s absence. The debate summary available Wednesday did not include a detailed response from Bass on that point.
Separately, the mayor’s office said in a statement that Lineage and Chill Build do not deserve to rebuild the destroyed warehouse. The statement says the city will pursue litigation, a lien and all legal options for cost recovery and penalties.
The Mayor’s Office also maintains a page with recovery updates and resources for residents affected by the fire.
License plate readers split the candidates
Both candidates addressed automated license plate readers used by the LAPD. Raman said she is “very skeptical” of the technology and wants proof that the data would not be shared with federal immigration authorities.
Bass said she supports using the readers for crime prevention. She said she opposes renewing the city’s contract with the vendor Flock.
Election date is Nov. 3
The runoff vote is Nov. 3. The mayor’s race will be decided by the voters who cast ballots in that election, which the City Clerk administers.
Bass and Raman have not announced additional televised head-to-head debates.
