Exclusive | Nithya Raman looks miserable as she breaks cover for first time since winning the election

Democratic Socialist Nithya Raman was spotted for the first time since winning the race for Los Angeles mayor, making her the first mayoral challenger to defeat an incumbent since 2005.

Raman made her way from her home to a combined yoga studio and workspace in downtown LA.

“Los Angeles, I’m deeply honored to be your next mayor,” Raman said in a video statement. “Thank you to the thousands of people who knocked on doors, sent texts, made phone calls, convinced their neighbors to believe in the promise of this big, beautiful, joyful city that we get to call home.

Just before midday Thursday, Bass issued a statement conceding defeat.

“While this is not the outcome we hoped for, the people of Los Angeles have spoken,” Bass said. “I have called Council member Nithya Raman to congratulate her on her victory, and I have committed to ensuring a smooth and seamless transition. Moving this city forward is what Los Angeles needs from all of us.”

“Four years ago, you elected as the first Black woman mayor in the history of Los Angeles. You gave me the honor of serving the city that raised me, and every single day since, I have carried that responsibility with me,” Bass continued.

“I love Los Angeles. I believe in Los Angeles. And I will continue to ensure the promise of a better life belongs to all of us. Thank you.”

In 2005, then-City Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa defeated James K. Hahn, who was seeking reelection for a second term. Two decades later Raman repeated that feat.

City Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky congratulated Raman on her election.

“Having served alongside Nithya on the City Council, I know how much she cared about our city and the people we represent,” Yaroslavsky said in a statement. “I also want to thank Mayor Karen Bass for her leadership and partnership over the past four years.”

“Los Angeles faces enormous challenges and opportunities,” Yaroslavsky added. “Meeting them will require all of us working together. Angelenos deserve nothing less. I look forward to working with the mayor-elect and my colleagues on the City Council to make housing more affordable, strengthen our neighborhoods, and make City Hall more effective, transparent and accountable.”

The Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union representing city police officers, issued a statement also congratulating Raman on her win, noting that its president, Ricky Mendoza, reached out to the mayor-elect to establish a dialogue. The union had supported Bass’ campaign for reelection and spent millions of dollars to oppose Raman’s mayoral bid.

“Los Angeles police officers and others are filled with uncertainty and angst at the prospect of major cuts to the LAPD that will reverse the progress made in reducing crime. Mayor-elect Raman has stated that she does not want staffing levels to decrease from current levels, we share that goal and are committed to ensuring enough officers remain to keep our residents, the Olympics and our officers safe,” the board’s statement read.

The police union also thanked Bass for her decades of public service.

Bass held a narrow lead over Raman when an initial tally of early balloting was released Tuesday night, but as the counting of ballots cast close to or on election day were added into the totals, Raman edged into the lead, and she has extended it with each ballot drop since.

As of Thursday morning, there were believed to be more than 700,000 ballots from Tuesday’s election that remained to be tallied countywide. It was unclear how many of those ballots were cast by Los Angeles city voters.

Bass gave an exuberant speech to her supporters Tuesday night in Hollywood, continuing to express optimism about the election, but also touting what she saw as her accomplishments over the past four years.

At a Tuesday night gathering in Hollywood, Bass told supporters she remained committed to the city.

The candidates had been running neck-and-neck late in the campaign. A UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll, co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times and released last week, found both with 40% support among likely voters, while 19% remained undecided.

Bass had closed the gap after a September poll found Raman leading by 11 percentage points.

Bass and political action committees that support her focused their late-campaign attacks on Raman’s public-safety record, particularly her call to remove Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell. They also portrayed Raman as inexperienced.

Raman faced criticism after saying the LAPD was at a “gold standard” under former Chief Daryl Gates. She later apologized, explaining that she had been referring to Special Order 40, which limits city police cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

Raman has said she is seeking the mayor’s office to fix what she calls a “broken city” under Bass. She has criticized Bass over a billion-dollar police salary agreement and the cost of a downtown convention center modernization project.

Bass sought four more years to continue work on homelessness, housing, affordability and public safety, issues the two repeatedly clashed over.

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters