LOS ANGELES, CA – Mayor Karen Bass has outraised Councilmember Nithya Raman in the Nov. 3 runoff for Los Angeles mayor, collecting about $3.4 million to Raman’s $3 million, according to campaign finance reports filed this week.
The reports cover the one-month period that ended Oct. 17. Bass reported $827,000 in contributions and matching funds for that period, while Raman reported $485,000.
Raman had a larger reserve for the final stretch. She reported about $1.4 million on hand, while Bass reported roughly half of that amount.
The two campaigns read the numbers differently. Both are also being supported by outside groups that have spent far more than the candidates have raised.
Campaigns respond to the filings
Alex Stack, a spokesperson for Bass, said the fundraising shows the mayor “has the momentum in this race right now.”
Raman pointed to her own totals. She said she has received “more matching funds than any candidate in city history.”
The figures come from reports filed with the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission, which publishes searchable campaign contribution data for city candidates and committees. The Bass figure of $827,000 for the period combines private contributions with public matching funds.
Contribution limit and matching funds
Donations to the candidates themselves are capped. The Ethics Commission’s contributor guide for the 2026 elections sets the per-person limit for citywide offices, including mayor, at $1,800.
The city also pays public money to candidates who qualify. Under the Ethics Commission’s matching funds guidance for 2026 candidates, qualified contributions from individuals are matched at a 6-to-1 rate, meaning the city pays $6 in public funds for every matchable dollar.
The most that can be matched per contributor is $257 for citywide candidates and $143 for City Council candidates. The same document lists the maximum matching payment for mayor at $1,257,000 in the primary and $1,507,000 in the general election.
For city attorney, the maximum matching payment is $566,000 in the primary and $659,000 in the general election.
Outside committees outspend the campaigns
The money raised by Bass and Raman has been overshadowed by spending from independent committees. Those groups are not subject to the $1,800 donor limit, as long as they do not coordinate with the candidates they favor.
The Western States Regional Council of Carpenters had raised more than $10 million as of Thursday for its Estamos Con Nithya committee, according to campaign finance filings. The committee’s ads promote Raman and criticize Bass.
Of that total, $6 million came from Aaron Sosnick, a hedge fund manager with a Reno address who has pushed for an expansion of the city’s bike lane network, according to initial reports.
The transportation advocacy group Streets for All has also produced digital ads supporting Raman and criticizing Bass over her record on homelessness, the Palisades fire and other issues. According to Ethics Commission figures, the group has spent $1.1 million, with much of its money coming from Sosnick and two real estate developers.
Police union committee spends $4.8 million
On Bass’s side, a committee sponsored by the Los Angeles Police Protective League has spent nearly $4.8 million on advertising against Raman and her record. Those ads include criticism of her opposition to a law barring homeless encampments near schools.
The committee has received donations from the police union and other contributors. Bass is also receiving outside help from the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and the region’s building trade unions, among others.
How independent spending is reported
The Ethics Commission’s page on independent spenders explains that an independent expenditure is a payment for a communication that expressly advocates the election or defeat of a candidate and is not coordinated with that candidate.
Independent spenders must file a Form 57 and a 24-hour Form 496 report. When the spending occurs within 90 days of an election, the report is due within 24 hours.
City attorney candidates also report totals
The same filing period covered the runoff for city attorney, the office now held by Hydee Feldstein Soto, who is not in the runoff. Deputy Attorney General Marissa Roy raised about $292,000 in contributions and matching funds, bringing her runoff total to just above $1 million.
Her opponent, Deputy District Attorney John McKinney, brought in nearly $150,000 in contributions and public funding over the same month. His runoff total stands at nearly $670,000.
Roy reported about $366,000 available for the final stretch, compared with $213,000 for McKinney.
Both candidates are receiving help from outside committees. By Thursday night, a collection of labor unions and nonprofit advocacy groups had spent a combined $1.7 million on efforts to elect Roy, according to campaign finance filings. An Airbnb-sponsored committee had put about $2.1 million behind McKinney, according to Ethics Commission filings.
How the runoff took shape
Bass and Raman advanced from the June 2 primary, where certified results gave Bass 34.27% of the vote and Raman 29.02%. Neither candidate won a majority, which sent the top two finishers to the November ballot.
Ethics Commission figures as of Sept. 19 showed Raman with about $2.53 million, made up of about $1.1 million in contributions and $1.4 million in matching funds. Bass had about $2.51 million at that point, including about $1.5 million in contributions and nearly $1 million in matching funds.
What is on the Nov. 3 ballot
The City Clerk’s page on municipal elections says the city will hold its General Municipal Election on Nov. 3, 2026. The ballot includes mayor, city attorney, Council Districts 3 and 9, and eight city measures.
The mayor’s new four-year term begins Dec. 14, 2026, according to the Clerk’s page.
Voting opens Oct. 24
The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk lists the Nov. 3 general election on its page for current and upcoming elections. The page links to voter information, a general municipal information booklet and a vote center locator.
County vote centers begin opening Oct. 24, and according to initial reports, 123 centers will operate from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Nov. 2. Another 523 are scheduled to open Oct. 31, for a total of 646. Election Day hours are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Vote-by-mail ballots began going out Oct. 1. County drop boxes remain open until 8 p.m. on Nov. 3.
Election day is Nov. 3
The next campaign finance reports will be filed as the race closes, and independent committees must report new spending within 24 hours during the 90 days before the election. Neither the Bass nor the Raman campaign has announced additional fundraising figures.
Voters will decide the mayor’s race and the city attorney’s race on Nov. 3.
