Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath publicly endorsed City Councilwoman Nithya Raman Tuesday at Gloria Molina Grand Park, signaling a rare county‑level backing for the mayoral challenger ahead of the November election.
Local officials split on the race
Horvath represents roughly two million residents in the county’s third supervisorial district, covering parts of the San Fernando Valley and the Westside. She is the only supervisor to side with Raman; the other four supervisors have all pledged support for incumbent Mayor Karen Bass.
On the City Council, the majority also stand with Bass. Thirteen of Raman’s fourteen fellow council members have endorsed the mayor, while Councilwoman Traci Park said she will vote for Bass despite expressing some reservations.
Endorsements and policy concerns
Raman’s campaign has already attracted endorsements from City Controller Kenneth Mejia, LAUSD School Board Member Rocio Rivas, former Councilman and former LAPD Chief Bernard Parks, and former City Controller Laura Chick.
In her remarks to the Los Angeles Times, Horvath noted, “It’s been said that she doesn’t have many friends at City Hall, and I know what that feels like. When you take on institutional inertia and decades of refusal to change, that kind of shake‑up can feel disruptive to people. But I think that’s the kind of leadership people are clamoring for in Los Angeles right now.”
Background to the split
Horvath was once considered an ally of Bass, but the two diverged after the January 2025 Palisades Fire. Representing Pacific Palisades, Malibu and other fire‑affected areas, Horvath criticized Bass’s communication handling and other decisions related to the disaster.
Mayor Bass has also taken issue with the county’s recent move to pull millions of dollars from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) and shift much of its work to a new homelessness department. Bass warned that the transfer could add bureaucracy and create additional roadblocks to addressing homelessness.
Raman echoed those concerns, joining Bass in a joint letter to the Board of Supervisors warning that moving $300 million‑plus away from LAHSA could disrupt the city’s homelessness response. Four council members, including Raman, appeared before the Board to urge the county not to proceed. Nevertheless, the Board approved the transfer.
County‑city coordination at stake
More recently, the city and county have been locked in a dispute over control of major responsibilities overseen by LAHSA, as the joint agency is expected to step down as the region’s lead on homelessness response. This disagreement occurs amid a broader legal battle with the federal government over the suspension of LAHSA’s access to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funding.
During the endorsement announcement, Horvath emphasized the need for cooperation, stating, “By having those conversations, we’ll figure out what partnership can look like, what the city needs, what the county needs, and how we can work together to make sure that we’re solving this crisis for the entire region.”
Raman responded, “I am prepared to do whatever it takes to build a homelessness response system that functions for Angelenos. The outcome of the discussion so far comes from a lack of partnership between the city and county to actually flesh out the details that matter. To build that trust requires engagement, requires work, requires hashing out the details. I’m willing to do that work.”
What’s next
The endorsement adds a notable county voice to Raman’s campaign as the mayoral race heads into its final month. Voters will weigh the candidates’ differing approaches to homelessness, public‑safety funding, and city‑county collaboration when they head to the polls next month.
Original reporting: NBC4 Los Angeles — read the source article.
