The split inside Los Angeles’ progressive City Council bloc is exposing tensions over loyalty, strategy, and the future of left-wing politics in the mayor’s race.
It was almost inevitable. Three members of the DSA bloc on the Los Angeles City Council were never going to support their colleague Nithya Raman in her bid for mayor of Los Angeles. Despite aligning on major issues and sharing the banner of the Democratic Socialists of America, Eunisses Hernandez, Ysabel Jurado, and Hugo Soto-Martinez likely felt sidelined, if not betrayed, when Raman announced her candidacy.
It may not be a formal requirement, but among friends, some things matter.
The four councilmembers, known as part of the progressive bloc on the City Council, have worked closely together on some of Los Angeles’ most pressing issues, including tenant protections, the minimum wage, immigration enforcement, and ICE policies. Raman appeared to draw a line when she launched her campaign against Karen Bass without even giving her allies a courtesy call.
Soto-Martinez had already announced his support for Bass. Hernandez and Jurado are expected to do the same today, according to preliminary information from their teams.
The DSA also declined to endorse Raman, with members ultimately choosing not to back any candidate.
Polls show Bass is likely headed to a runoff against either Spencer Pratt or Raman.
“When immigrant communities across our city came under attack, Karen Bass stood up and spoke out. She showed real leadership and conviction,” Hernandez, who represents a district stretching from Pico-Union to Highland Park, said in a statement.
Soto-Martinez, who endorsed Bass earlier this year, said he was caught off guard by Raman’s surprise decision to challenge the mayor, which she announced just before the filing deadline closed.
“Even when we disagree, I’ve never doubted Mayor Bass and her long standing commitment to the community,” Soto-Martinez said.
Ironically, Raman herself endorsed Bass’s reelection campaign just two weeks before entering the race. Raman later said that endorsement had actually been made months earlier, even if it was not publicly announced at the time.
“This is a major blow to Councilwoman Nithya Raman,” Democratic consultant Mike Trujillo told the Los Angeles Times. “If the people who sit inches away from her are rejecting her candidacy, that should speak volumes to every other voter in the city.”
Polls show Bass leading all candidates in the June 2 primary, though without enough support to win outright. That scenario would likely set up a Nov. 3 runoff against either Raman or former reality TV personality Spencer Pratt, who are currently neck and neck for second place.
Raman has not issued any comment regarding the endorsements.
Raman has suggested that Bass is trying to eliminate her in the primary because the mayor would rather face Pratt in a potential runoff. Although the race is officially nonpartisan, Pratt is a Republican in a city where GOP registration remains below 15%.
Bass has denied that claim.
“I don’t think he is preferable as a competitor. I don’t want any competitors, how about that?” the mayor said during a one on one debate with Raman at the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association.
