Previous Los Angeles mayors kept inherited police chiefs before appointing their own. Raman promised a different approach, but replacing McDonnell involves more than a mayoral decision.
Los Angeles mayors have often inherited police chiefs and initially kept them before choosing their own. Nithya Raman enters City Hall with a different promise: replacing Jim McDonnell could become one of the first major tests of her administration.
When Nithya Raman takes office as Los Angeles mayor in December, she will inherit more than a police department. She will inherit a complicated relationship between City Hall, the Los Angeles Police Department, and communities that have repeatedly demanded changes in how the city is policed.
During her campaign, Raman promised to replace Police Chief Jim McDonnell, arguing that he had lost the trust of Angelenos, particularly immigrant communities following the federal immigration raids and the LAPD’s response to protests in 2025.
But Los Angeles history offers an interesting precedent. Several previous mayors initially kept the police chiefs appointed by their predecessors, choosing continuity before eventually making their own appointments.
From Antonio Villaraigosa to Eric Garcetti and Karen Bass, the pattern reveals how politically complicated it can be for a mayor to change leadership at one of the city’s most powerful institutions.
Raman could become the next mayor to confront that decision, although her campaign promise puts her in a different position from some of her predecessors.
Villaraigosa inherited Bratton, then chose Beck
When Antonio Villaraigosa became mayor in July 2005, William Bratton was already leading the LAPD.
Bratton had been appointed in 2002 by Mayor James Hahn, following a nationwide recruitment process. His appointment came during a period when Los Angeles was attempting to rebuild confidence in its police department after years of controversy and reform.
Rather than replacing him immediately, Villaraigosa maintained the relationship.
Bratton remained chief throughout the first part of Villaraigosa’s administration, receiving national attention for his approach to crime reduction, community policing, and departmental management.
But in 2009, Villaraigosa made his own choice.
He appointed Charlie Beck, a longtime LAPD veteran who had worked his way through the department and served as deputy chief. The City Council confirmed Beck, and he became the city’s next police chief.
The decision represented a transition from one experienced police leader to another, while maintaining institutional continuity.
Villaraigosa’s experience established an important precedent: A new mayor did not necessarily have to replace an inherited chief immediately to eventually shape the department’s leadership.
Garcetti followed a similar path
When Eric Garcetti took office in 2013, Charlie Beck was already leading the department.
Garcetti kept him.
Beck remained chief for five years under the new administration, overseeing a department dealing with police accountability, crime prevention, and continued efforts to rebuild relationships with Los Angeles communities.
In June 2018, Garcetti announced his selection of Michel Moore, then the LAPD’s first assistant chief, to succeed Beck.
Moore was a department veteran with more than 36 years of experience. Garcetti described him as a leader who could continue reforms while strengthening relationships between officers and communities.
Once again, a new mayor initially retained the previous administration’s police chief before eventually selecting someone of his own.
Bass kept Moore before choosing McDonnell
Karen Bass followed a similar approach when she became mayor in December 2022.
Michel Moore had been appointed by Garcetti in 2018, and Bass initially maintained his leadership.
In January 2023, she approved his appointment to a second five-year term.
But the arrangement did not last until the end of that term.
In January 2024, Moore announced his retirement, and Bass launched a nationwide search for his replacement.
She ultimately selected Jim McDonnell, a former Los Angeles County sheriff and Long Beach police chief, who had also served as chief of the Los Angeles Airport Police.
McDonnell was confirmed by the City Council in November 2024.
Bass publicly supported his leadership, particularly as Los Angeles prepared for the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
However, his handling of protests against federal immigration enforcement operations became a major point of criticism during the 2026 mayoral campaign.
Raman argued that the department had failed to protect immigrant communities and that McDonnell had lost public confidence.
Raman’s promise creates a different situation
Unlike Villaraigosa, Garcetti and Bass, Raman entered the mayoral race with an explicit commitment to replace the incumbent police chief.
That promise now presents an early political test.
Following her election victory, Raman spoke with McDonnell and described their conversation as part of her effort to ensure continuity in public safety during the transition. However, she has not clearly confirmed whether she will immediately move to replace him.
Her position has also evolved during the campaign.
At different points, Raman suggested she could wait until 2030, after McDonnell’s term ended, but later said she would begin the replacement process on her first day in office.
According to the Los Angeles Times, McDonnell’s current term expires in late 2029.
The mayor-elect has also promised an audit of LAPD compliance with Los Angeles’ sanctuary city protections, which restrict the use of city resources and information for federal immigration enforcement.
For Raman, changing the chief could therefore become part of a broader effort to redefine the department’s relationship with immigrant communities.
The mayor does not have unlimited power
There is another important distinction between political promises and the city’s appointment process.
Under Section 575 of the Los Angeles Administrative Code, the selection of a police chief involves the Personnel Department and the Board of Police Commissioners.
The Personnel Department identifies qualified candidates, and the commission sends three recommended candidates to the mayor. The mayor selects a nominee, who must then receive City Council confirmation.
The Police Commission also has authority to remove a chief before the end of a five-year term, subject to the city’s procedures and the possibility of City Council intervention.
This means Raman will have considerable influence over the department’s future, but replacing McDonnell requires navigating an institutional process.
She will also have to contend with the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union representing rank-and-file officers, which spent millions opposing her during the mayoral campaign.
The relationship could become particularly difficult as Raman prepares for contract negotiations with the union. She previously criticized the police compensation agreement approved under Bass, arguing that its financial commitments affected other city services.
A decision that could define her administration
The historical pattern suggests that Los Angeles mayors do not always rush to replace an inherited police chief. Villaraigosa, Garcetti and Bass initially maintained the leadership they found when entering City Hall.
But Raman’s situation is different because she made the issue part of her campaign.
Replacing McDonnell would signal an immediate change in direction. Keeping him would raise questions about whether her commitment to reforming the LAPD can be achieved without changing its leadership.
The 2028 Olympics add another dimension. Los Angeles needs a stable police department capable of coordinating one of the largest security operations in the city’s history. McDonnell’s supporters argue that replacing him before the Games could disrupt preparations.
Raman, however, must also address the concerns of residents who believe the department needs a different approach to immigration enforcement and police accountability.
Ultimately, the decision will be about more than one police chief.
It will reveal how Raman intends to exercise mayoral power, confront established institutions and redefine the relationship between the LAPD and the communities it serves.
Los Angeles has seen new mayors inherit police chiefs before. The question now is whether Raman will follow that tradition or make an immediate break with it.
