LOS ANGELES, CA – Mayoral candidate Nithya Raman’s campaign fired a part-time staffer over the weekend before Tuesday’s election after he made remarks about a Michigan U.S. Senate race that the campaign called “reprehensible,” campaign officials said.
Raman political strategist Jeff Millman confirmed Monday, Nov. 2, that the staffer, Eric Cheng, had been terminated. Millman said Cheng served as a liaison between the campaign and digital content creators.
Raman, a Los Angeles City Councilmember who represents Council District 4, is challenging Mayor Karen Bass in the Nov. 3 general municipal election, according to the City Clerk’s list of certified candidates. The winner’s term begins Dec. 14, 2026.
Cheng posted a video on his personal social media account in which he discussed the Michigan Senate race. He said Rep. Haley Stevens, a Michigan Democrat, had been trying to “brainwash a lot of the Black vote” in her state.
Rival strategist demands an apology
Michael Trujillo, a political strategist who supports Bass, responded Sunday, Nov. 1, on X. He said Cheng’s remarks reflected the Raman campaign’s “ignorance of the African American community.”
Trujillo called on the campaign to apologize. Raman’s team answered within an hour in a reply to his post.
The campaign’s official account said: “We’re aware of a video posted by a part-time staffer on his personal social media account commenting about the Michigan Senate race. The comments in it are reprehensible and do not reflect our campaign. We apologize.” The reply also said Cheng was no longer with the campaign.
Campaign confirms the termination
Millman gave the fuller account to reporters on Monday. He said Cheng had been let go, and he described the staffer’s role as connecting the campaign with online content creators.
Cheng had no comment when reached by reporters on Monday, according to initial reports.
The campaign has not described what Cheng’s duties involved beyond that liaison role. Its public response consisted of the reply to Trujillo and Millman’s confirmation of the firing.
Bass calls the remarks despicable
Bass addressed the matter Monday during campaign remarks to reporters, including at an event downtown at Homegirl Cafe with gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra. The mayor said it was “despicable that she would actually have somebody on her campaign or anywhere near her that would make a comment that was so insensitive, at best, racist at worst.”
Bass also tied the episode to how Raman would run the city. “Maybe it’s giving you an indication of how she would lead the city… The city needs to move forward. We can’t deal in upheaval,” she said.
Those remarks were made on the campaign trail. The mayor’s office has not published a separate statement on the matter.
Latest dispute over online content
The firing follows other disputes in the race involving social media and public remarks. Last month, Raman appeared with a social media influencer and made remarks about “fascist liars” before criticizing Police Chief Jim McDonnell. She had the clip taken down, saying it had been edited improperly and that she was referring to President Donald Trump and immigration agents, not McDonnell or the mayor.
Bass said the episode showed Raman was not ready for citywide office.
At a televised debate, Raman praised the Los Angeles Police Department’s approach to immigration enforcement under former Chief Daryl Gates. She said she was referring to Special Order 40, which the LAPD explains was adopted by the Board of Police Commissioners in 1979 and restricts officers from initiating police action to discover a person’s immigration status.
Bass said the comment failed to acknowledge Gates’ mistreatment of Black and Latino residents. Raman accused the mayor of twisting her words but later called it a mistake to cite Gates and apologized.
Influencer complaints and the campaign’s denial
Two social media influencers also filed complaints with the California Fair Political Practices Commission and the Los Angeles Ethics Commission, according to initial reports. They allege the Raman campaign failed to disclose payments to influencers, and the filings reportedly list Cheng among those paid. The campaign denies wrongdoing.
State rules on political advertising require content from paid third-party influencers to disclose that a committee paid for the post, according to the Fair Political Practices Commission’s disclaimer chart. The chart gives sample wording that says the author was paid by a named committee, along with its identification number, in connection with the posting.
The complaints are allegations. The campaign’s denial stands, and no agency finding has been announced.
Homelessness claim disputed
Bass has also challenged Raman’s statements on homelessness. A July news release from Raman’s council office reported decreases in unsheltered homelessness in Council District 4.
Bass disputed Raman’s claim of a 50 percent reduction in her district, saying it is not true. Bass is pledging to rebuild the LAPD to 9,500 officers by the 2028 Olympics and to overhaul the city’s homelessness systems.
Poll showed a tied race
A University of California, Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll had Bass and Raman tied at 40% among likely voters, with 19% undecided. That poll is a snapshot of voter preferences during a specific period, not a prediction of the result.
In September, the same poll had Raman leading by 11 points. In the June primary, Bass received 34.3% and Raman 29.0%, according to initial reports.
Candidates make final appearances
The two candidates spent the last days of the campaign at separate events. On Sunday, Raman rallied volunteers in the San Fernando Valley, while Bass cast her ballot in Koreatown with her family.
On Monday, Bass and Becerra made a final campaign push at Homegirl Cafe downtown. Raman held a rally at UCLA.
How voting works on Election Day
The Nov. 3 election is conducted by Los Angeles County. The City Clerk’s voter information pamphlet says the ballot covers mayor, city attorney, city controller, City Council seats and city ballot measures.
County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean C. Logan announced that 646 vote centers are open countywide through Election Day. They operate 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.
The county lists 429 official ballot drop boxes, with locations at LOCATOR.LAVOTE.GOV. Mailed ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 3.
County officials say every vote-by-mail ballot undergoes signature verification before it is counted. Voters can call the county’s hotline at 800-815-2666.
Election night results come in stages
Election night results will be reported in stages beginning at about 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 3, according to the county’s Election Day briefing announcement. The registrar will hold a media briefing at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Ballot Processing Center.
Ballot processing continues around the clock from Election Night through Friday, Nov. 6, with multiple results updates each day.
Polls close at 8 p.m. Nov. 3
The county has until Dec. 3, 2026, to certify the results, according to the City Clerk’s voter pamphlet. No semi-final or certified results were available as of Monday.
The Raman campaign has said Cheng no longer works for it. The Fair Political Practices Commission and Ethics Commission complaints against the campaign remain allegations.
