LOS ANGELES, CA – Los Angeles voters will choose between Mayor Karen Bass and City Councilmember Nithya Raman on Nov. 3 in a general election for mayor shaped by concerns over homelessness, the city budget, taxes and utility bills.
Bass, 73, is the incumbent and is seeking a second term. Raman, 45, represents Council District 4. They were the top two finishers in the June primary, in which Bass received 34.3% of the vote and Raman received 29.0%.
The Nov. 3 General Municipal Election also fills the offices of City Attorney and Council Districts 3 and 9 and puts eight city measures before voters, according to the Los Angeles City Clerk’s Election Division.
Voters interviewed about the race have described a city that, in their view, is losing ground. They point to a homelessness crisis that continues despite billions of dollars in spending, a city budget that keeps growing and the taxes needed to support it.
Both candidates have spent the final weeks of the campaign on those issues, along with public safety and the cost of power and water.
Homeless count rose 3.4% in the city
The most recent official measure of homelessness came from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, which released the 2026 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count on July 24. The count showed a 1.2% increase to an estimated 73,040 people in Los Angeles County and a 3.4% increase to 45,194 people in the City of Los Angeles, according to the agency’s announcement.
Unsheltered homelessness rose 3.3% in the county to an estimated 49,002 people. In the city, it rose 7.9% to an estimated 29,115 people.
The agency said the primary driver of the increase was a pause in new enrollments and permanent housing placements using Time Limited Subsidies, which it said funding reductions forced. The number of people newly housed using those subsidies dropped from 10,308 in 2024 to 6,590 in 2025, the agency said.
The results followed two consecutive years of steady declines. Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn said after the release, “It felt like we had turned a corner these past few years and this latest count feels like a setback.”
Bass cites funding cuts and Inside Safe
In a statement on the count, Bass said the city had driven down homelessness by historic margins for two straight years. She said last year’s efforts could not keep up with federal and state policy and funding cuts that pushed more people onto the streets.
The statement cites a 50% cut in state Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention funding, from $1 billion to $500 million, which Bass said cost the city $70 million. Bass has also cited an 11% drop in homelessness since 2023.
At a televised debate on Oct. 13, Bass cited an 11% reduction in street homelessness and a 50% decline in veterans’ homelessness.
Her office has also pointed to Inside Safe, the city’s program that moves people from encampments into interim housing. In an Aug. 31 announcement, the mayor’s office said Inside Safe completed its 140th operation in Palms, bringing nearly 20 people into housing. It said the program has brought more than 6,000 people inside to date.
Raman says the approach is not working
Raman, reacting to the July count, said the numbers were disappointing but not surprising. She said City Hall leadership has not shifted toward an approach that moves people into permanent housing, and that the mayor’s approach is not working well enough.
At the Oct. 13 debate, Raman called Inside Safe “unaccountable to the public.” According to initial reports, she said the city has put hundreds of millions of dollars into the program.
Raman’s campaign has also focused on how the city pays for housing. Bass’s campaign and Raman’s differ on how the homelessness response should be run, and both cite the same county count to make their cases.
Council passed the budget 12-1 in May
The City Council voted 12-1 in May to pass the revised fiscal year 2026-27 budget after weeks of hearings and review by the Chief Legislative Analyst and the City Administrative Officer, according to a release from Council District 5 dated May 22.
The revised budget raises the city’s Reserve Fund to $515.1 million, or 6.00% of General Fund revenues. It also increases the transfer to the Budget Stabilization Fund from $9 million to $14.5 million.
The release said the final budget “preserves the core structure of the Mayor’s proposed budget while making targeted adjustments to strengthen the City’s fiscal position, protect core services, and reflect priorities raised by Councilmembers and the public.”
Bass signed the spending plan. Her office said the budget continues work on reducing homelessness, hiring police officers and improving basic city services. Summaries of the mayor’s release say it funds 510 new police officers, maintains Inside Safe and all interim housing beds, and increases street repair funding.
City forecast shows gaps through 2029
The City Administrative Officer’s supporting information for the proposed budget sets out a revenue and expenditure plan of about $14.8 billion.
The same document includes a four-year outlook. It projects that expenditures will outpace revenues in 2027-28 and 2028-29, with structural balance not reached until 2029-30.
Police chief and staffing divide the candidates
Public safety has been a main point of contrast. Bass has stressed hiring more police officers, and the adopted budget funds 510 new officers.
Raman said at the debate, “I want to replace the police chief. I have been very open about that.” She said Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell has lost the trust of Angelenos, especially in response to immigration raids. According to initial reports, she now says department staffing should stay at current levels.
Bass criticized Raman at the debate for opposing a pay raise for LAPD officers.
Raman proposes audit of LADWP
On Oct. 20, Raman held a news conference outside a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power facility in North Hollywood. She proposed a plan to audit the utility with City Controller Kenneth Mejia, require department officials to explain rates to the City Council and modernize the utility system.
Raman said LADWP bills rose 40% citywide during Bass’s tenure. That figure is a campaign claim and has not been independently established.
Bass campaigned in MacArthur Park the same day.
Debate was sharp, and few ballots are in
The Oct. 13 debate brought sharp exchanges between the two candidates. Bass questioned whether Raman could run a city of 3.8 million and said she was “not ready for prime time.”
The primary also included Spencer Pratt, who finished third with 25.5% of the vote, according to election returns. Bass and Raman advanced to the general election.
The candidates have drawn different endorsements. According to initial reports, Bass has the backing of Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Vice President Kamala Harris, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the police union. Raman has the backing of the Democratic Socialists of America, Our Revolution and the Sierra Club.
About three weeks into mail voting, about 5% of ballots had been returned, according to Political Data Inc. A Democratic consultant called the race “a coin flip” and described a lack of enthusiasm among voters.
Election Day is Nov. 3
Election Day is Nov. 3, 13 days from now. The last day for vote-by-mail ballots to be received or returned in person is Nov. 3 at 8 p.m., according to the City Clerk’s Election Division.
The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk lists the election on its current and upcoming elections page, which includes a voter information booklet, a calendar of events and vote-by-mail guidance.
The mayor’s race, the City Attorney contest, two council seats and eight city measures will all be decided in the same election.
