Peter Dreier's Voter Guide
VOTER GUIDE FOR NOVEMBER 3, 2026 ELECTIONS
For the past few decades, many friends and colleagues have asked me for my recommendations in various elections, so I’ve always sent out my voting guide a few weeks before Election Day.
I’ve put together a list of recommendations for statewide offices, US House, state Senate and Assembly, LA County races, Superior Court judges, and local city council, school board, community college board, and other local races in Los Angeles, Pasadena, Glendale, Burbank, Santa Monica, Long Beach, and West Hollywood. I’ve also make recommendations about statewide ballot measures and other ballot measures in LA County and several cities. Feel free to forward these recommendations to other voters.
These are my recommendations and do not reflect the views of any institution or organization that I am associated with. These are not based on partisan (political party) criteria, but on which candidates are both progressive and have a chance to win their races. I have drawn on the recommendations of many groups on a variety of issues, including LA Forward, Planned Parenthood, the Sierra Club, the Sunrise Movement, LA Voice, ACCE, the LA County Federation of Labor and about ten different unions, the Working Families Party, CHIRLA, Equality California, Courage Campaign, Ground Game LA, DSA, La Defensa, Streets for All, and others.
In cases where these organizations disagree, I have relied on conversations with progressive people I respect to identify the best candidate or stance on ballot measures. In a few cases, I’ve made no endorsement or a dual endorsement. I am very enthusiastic about many of the recommended candidates and simply OK with the others in comparison to their opponents. I am reluctant to endorse a candidate who has major backing from big business and real estate interests or organizations representing police officers. I’ve written a somewhat detailed explanation of my thoughts about the LA mayor’s race, which has split the progressive community, which is at the end of this voter guide.
Election day is November 3, but voting in California starts NOW! There are a few ways you can submit your ballot on or before Election Day:
1. Return by mail. Put it in your mailbox or visit any USPS location.
2. Drop it in an official Ballot Drop Box.
3. Bring it to a Vote Center or vote in person! Find the closest Vote Centers here: https://www.lavote.gov/home/voting-elections/current-elections/find-my-election-information
STATEWIDE BALLOT MEASURES
Proposition 1 – Yes
Authorizes $11.25 billion in state general obligation bonds for housing affordability programs, including multifamily rental housing, mortgages for veterans, supportive housing, preservation of existing affordable housing, and downpayment assistance.
Proposition 2 – Yes
Increases California's Rainy Day Fund, approved by voters in 2014, to provide funding for education, health care, public safety, and other essential services during economic downturns
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Proposition 3 – Yes
Makes permanent existing voter-approved tax rates for individuals earning over $371,000 (adjusted annually for inflation). The money will go to improve our public schools. In 2012 voters raised the income tax rates on people with higher incomes. These higher rates affect the top 2% of California taxpayers. Married couples and people who file taxes as heads of household can earn more before the higher rates apply. About 40% of the tax money raised goes to schools and community colleges. The rest goes to other state programs, including health care, with some saved in reserves. The higher rates are now set to end in 2031.
Proposition 4 – Yes
Allows state and local governments to provide public financing to candidates for office, subject to certain limits, which would level the playing field for candidates who don’t have personal wealth or corporate PACS. Public funds that are earmarked for education, transportation, or public safety can’t be used.
Proposition 5 – Yes
A YES vote on this measure means that recall elections would no longer include a question about who should fill the vacancy if a public official is recalled. Instead, vacancies typically would be filled through special elections or appointments, depending on the office and timing.
Proposition 37 – Yes
A YES vote on this measure means that the state government would create a new homebuying assistance program. The state could sell up to $25 billion in revenue bonds to fund the program. Bonds would be paid back by homeowners’ payments on their home loans. Borrowers must be California residents, occupy the home, meet income limits, and pay at least 3% down.
Proposition 38
This is a narrow and misleading measure that covers only certain diseases for research, and is financed by the person (Gary Michelson), who is the most prominent donor and cofounder of the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy, which is linked to UCLA. The proposition’s language is tailored to guarantee that Michelson’s institute is destined to get most of the money.
Proposition 39 – No
This would require voters to present additional identifying information to elections officials each time they vote. This is a form of voter suppression. The ACLU California Action, Common Cause, and League of Women Voters of California all recommend a NO vote.
Proposition 40 – Yes
This would create a 5% tax on certain taxpayers with assets over $1 billion; revenue primarily for health care. It exempts revenues from constitutional requirements for school funding and spending limit. The roughly 200+ billionaires can afford to pay this tax. They simply won’t want to pay their fair share. Some of them are crying world that if this passes they will leave California. Research reveals that this isn’t true.
Proposition 41 – No
Its supporters claim that this is about audits, but it is really a billionaire-funded trick designed to nullify Proposition 40. Billionaires would rather millions of Californians lose healthcare than pay a modest tax on their extreme wealth. Don’t fall for the billionaires’ lies.
Proposition 42 – No
This is just another billionaire-funded trick. Prop. 42 isn’t really about protecting your retirement savings, as it claimed. Its only real purpose is to undo the California Billionaire Tax. The billionaires who oppose the measure would rather millions of Californians lose healthcare than pay a modest tax on their extreme wealth.
Proposition 43 – No
This would limit voters’ ability to fund essential services, like fire protection, 911 response, roads, hospitals, and affordable housing. It requires a 67% vote to increase any local tax. It doesn’t actually lower you’re your taxes. It lets just 33.4% of voters veto what nearly 67% want.
Proposition 44 – No
This would impose penalties on nonprofit Federally Qualified Health Centers (community clinics providing primary care to medically underserved areas and populations) that spend less than 90% of revenue on “program services” advancing their charitable purpose, including but not limited to patient services. This sounds good on paper but it actually would be quire harmful. It could shut down hundreds of community health clinics and eliminate vital patient services for millions of Californians.
Proposition 45 - No
This would amend (and weaken) the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to expedite environmental review for certain projects (including most housing, transportation, water, and health projects) by setting deadlines to complete environmental review and resolve lawsuits challenging project approvals. It would fast-track costly polluting projects like data centers, forest clear-cutting and pipelines. This is designed to protect corporate profits over public health and over our air and water. That’s why it is opposed by the Coalition for Clean Air; CA Environmental Voters; Physicians for Social Responsibility, and the National Wildlife Federation.
STATEWIDE OFFICES
Governor - Xavier Becerra
Lt. Governor - Michael Tubbs
Attorney General – Rob Bonta
Secretary of State - Shirley Weber
State Treasurer - Eleni Kounalakis
State Controller – Malia Cohen
Insurance Commissioner – Jane Kim
Superintendent of Public Instruction - Richard Barrera
State Board of Equalization
District 3 (LA County) – Samuel Sukaton
U.S HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
CD 26 Chris Espinosa
CD 27 George Whitesides
CD 28 Judy Chu
CD 29 Luz Rivas
CD 30 Laura Friedman
CD 31 Gil Cisneros
CD 32 Brad Sherman
CD 33 Pete Aguilar
CD 34 Angela Gonzales-Torres
CD 35 Norma Torres
CD 36 Ted Lieu
CD 37 Sydney Kamlager-Dove
CD 38 Hilda Solis
CD 41 Linda Sanchez
CD 42 Robert Garcia
CD 43 Maxine Waters
CD 44 Nanette Diaz Barragan
CD 45 Derek Tran
CD 46 No recommendation
CD 47 Dave Min
CALIFORNIA SENATE
District 20 Caroline Menjivar
District 22 No recommendation
District 24 John Erickson
District 26 Sarah Rascon
District 28 Lola Smallwood-Cuevas
District 30 No recommendation
CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLY
District 34 Randall Putz
District 36 Ida Obeso-Martinez
District 39 No recommendation
District 40 Pilar Schiavo
District 41 John Harabedian
District 42 Deborah Klein Lopez
District 43 Celeste Rodriguez
District 44 Nick Schultz
District 46 Jesse Gabriel
District 48 No recommendation
District 49 Mike Fong
District 51 No recommendation
District 52 Jessica Caloza
District 53 No recommendation
District 54 Mark Gonzalez
District 55 Isaac Bryan
District 56 No recommendation
District 57 Sade Elhawary
District 58 Clarissa Cervantes
District 61 Tina McKinnor
District 62 Jose Luis Solache
District 64 No recommendation
District 65 Ayanna Davis
District 66 Sara Deen
District 67 Ada Bricino
District 69 Josh Lowenthal
District 70 Paula Swift
LA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS (no election)
Two of the five seats on the board were up for election in June. Both Maria Elena Durazo (District 1) and Lindsey Horvath (District 3) won more than 50% of the primary vote in June, so there is no run-off in November.
LA COUNTY ASSESSOR (no election)
Jeff Prang won 57% of the vote in June so there is no run-off
LA COUNTY SHERIFF
Robert Luna - Re-elect Luna to block right-winger Alex Villanueva from returning to the office.
LA COUNTY BALLOT MEASURES
Measure A – No
Unions for the county’s law enforcement and public safety employee unions want to change the county charter to require labor disputes with the county to be resolved by three-member arbitration pane if contract negotiations fall apart. I’m a strong advocate for unions, but these law enforcement unions are already too powerful. (I would vote “yes” if it only applied to fire fighters).
Measure ER - Yes
Measure E would fulfill the 2024 Measure G mandate by creating L.A. County's first independent Ethics Commission, giving it real investigative and enforcement authority as a watchdog on corruption. It also restores the Measure J funding commitment for community investment and incarceration alternatives.
LOS ANGELES COMMUNITY COLLEGE BOARD
Three of the seven seats on the board are on the November ballot.
Seat #2 – Steven Veres
Seat #4 – Darryn Harris
Seat #6 – Randall Winston
LOS ANGELES MAYOR
Karen Bass or Nithya Raman (I’ve put my comments on this race at the end)
LOS ANGELES CITY ATTORNEY
Marissa Roy
LOS ANGELES CONTROLLER (no election)
Incumbent Kenneth Mejia won a landslide victory in June, so there’s no need for a November run-off.
LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCIL
District 1 - Eunisses Hernandez won over 50% of the vote in June, so there is no run-off in November
District 3 - Barri Worth Girvan
District 5 - Katy Yaroslavsky won over 50% of the vote in June, so there is no run-off in November
District 7 - No endorsement
District 9 - Estuardo Mazariegos
District 13 - Huge Soto-Martinez won over 50% of the vote in June, so there is no run-off in November
District 15 - No endorsement
LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD (no election)
There is no November run-off because incumbents Rocio Rivas (District 2), Nick Melvoin (District 4), and Kelly Gonez (District 5) won more than 50% of the vote in the June primary.
CITY OF LOS ANGELES BALLOT MEASURES
Charter Amendment PRK – Yes
This would slightly increase the city’s budget for its parks department over the next decade without raising taxes. This would be accomplished by dedicating a larger percentage of the general funds for parks. It would help the city fix its more than 500 parks, 150 recreation centers, and 59 swimming pools. LA now ranks 93rd on the nation’s Top 100 park systems for big cities.
Charter Amendment LA – Yes
This is a complicated measure. It would move the city from a one-year to a two-year budget cycle. It would require the city to plan ahead for infrastructure projects and give the director of Public Works and the City Council more power over the Department of Public Works that manages the city’s streets, bridges, sewers, storm drains and treatment plants. It would also allow the city to engage in commercial business, mortgage city-owned properties and roll back rules around how the city hires contractors to work on critical infrastructure projects. This may all sound wonky, but it would improve the delivery of basic city services and the repair and maintenance of infrastructure.
Proposition TE – no endorsement
In 2022, LA voters overwhelmingly passed Measure ULA, better known as the city’s “mansion tax,” which raises money for affordable housing and homelessness prevention programs by adding a 4% tax on real estate that sells for more than $5.4 million and a 5.5% tax on properties that sell for over $10.9 million.
Proposition TE would cancel that tax for those whose homes were damaged or destroyed by the Palisades Fire and who want to sell their residential property in the wake of the disaster. The exemption would be available until Jan. 6, 2030, five years from the date of the fire.
If this measure only applied to everyday homeowners, it would make sense. But Proposition TE cancels the tax for five years whether the owner is a natural person (a real human being) or a corporation, whether it was their primary home, a second (or third, or fourth) vacation home, or an apartment building. It also seems unfair for the city to exempt high-income homeowners but not pass eviction protections for workers who lost their jobs and income due to the fires.
Measure ULA has been a big success, subsidizing the construction of affordable housing, creating good jobs, and protecting vulnerable renters from eviction. In 2025 alone, it raised close to $548 million from the tiny top-tier of expensive properties. This exemption would reduce Measure ULA revenues by between $35 million and $66 million.
PASADENA BALLOT MEASURES
Measure PFD – Yes
This would levy a small annual tax on property (19 cents per square foot) to expand funding for the Pasadena Fire Department. It would go for new equipment, emergency response, 911, and wildfire response. It would exempt low-income seniors from the tax. It would provide about $22 million a year and expire after 14 years. This is much needed.
Measure UP – Yes
This would allow the Pasadena Community College District to authorize $485 million in bonds to construct and equip new facilities to train students for careers in nursing and other health fields, skilled trades, construction, hospitality, plumbing and electrical systems. These are generally good jobs and there are too few people with the skills to fill them. PCC will be making a smart investment in the future.
PASADENA CITY COUNCIL (no election)
The three contests were decided in the June primaries because all three incumbents won more than 50% of the votes.
PASADENA UNIFIED SCHOOL BOARD
District 1 - Kimberly Kenne or Felita R. Kealing
District 3 - Michelle Richardson Bailey or Veronica Elias.
District 7 - Cynthia Torres or Dennis J. McNamara
PASADENA COMMUNITY COLLEGE BOARD
Trustee Area 1 - Francis Pollara
Trustee Area 3 – Steve Gibson
Trustee Area 5 – Kristine Kwong
Trustee Area 7 – Altan Wang
BURBANK CITY COUNCIL
Nolan Southerland
Mike Van Gorder
Nikki Perez
GLENDALE CITY COUNCIL (Three seats elected at large. Vote for all three)
Alek Bartrosouf
Dan Brotman
Elen Asatryan
GLENDALE CITY CLERK
Suzie Abajian
GLENDALE CITY TREASURER
Rafi Manoukian
GLENDALE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD (no election)
The GUSD school board elections were all decided during in June because candidates for all three seats received more than 50% of the vote.
GLENDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE BOARD (no election)
The Glendale Community College board elections were decided in June because candidates for all three seats received more than 50% of the vote.
LONG BEACH MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL (no election)
Mayor Rex Richardson and Council members Mary Zendejas, Kristina Duggasn, Megan Kerr, Vivian Malauulu, and Joni Ricks-Oddie all won their June primary races with over 50% of the vote, so there is no run-off election in November.
SANTA MONICA CITY COUNCIL
Caroline Torosis
Brett Morrow
Danny Ivanov
SANTA MONICA- MALIBU UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD
Alicia Mignano
Laurie Lieberman
Robbie Staenberg
SANTA MONICA RENT CONTROL BOARD
Heather Thompson
Kurt Gonska
Sue Himmelrich
WEST HOLLYWOOD CITY COUNCIL
Steven Post
Chelsea Byers
Helen Kreiger
INGLEWOOD UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD
Area 3 Trustee – Yaritza Gonzalez
SUPERIOR COURT JUDGES
Superior Court Office No. 64 Rhonda Haymon or Maria Ghobadi
Superior Court Office No. 65 Justin Clayton or Anna S. Reitano
Superior Court Office No. 87 Anthony (A.J.) Bayne
Superior Court Office No. 131 David Ross
NOTES ON THE LA MAYORAL RACE
I know and respect both Karen Bass and Nithya Raman, but I am remaining neutral in this year’s mayoral race.
LA is a very difficult city to govern. Under the city charter, the mayor is relatively weak and has to share power with the 15-member City Council.
The city government has responsibility for parks, playgrounds, libraries, street repairs, zoning, and many other areas. It also plays a role in regulating rents and housing safety, environmental rules, and public safety. The city also has significant input on public transit, and oversees three large proprietary departments: LAX, DWP and the Port of LA.
Unlike most other democratic countries, the federal government does not provide much revenue to cities, but the Trump administration has been particularly indifferent to the plight of America’s cities, in part because most of them are governed by Democrats. In addition, state laws limit what the city can do around some of these issues. For example, the state Costa-Hawkins law prohibits cities from having full rent control; instead, they can only adopt “vacancy decontrol,” which allows landlords to raise rents to the market level whenever a tenant leave, which creates a perverse incentive to harass tenants to leave. The state also influences what kinds of taxes cities can adopt to raise the revenues needed to carry out its responsibilities. As a result, LA, like most big cities, constantly faces a budget crisis.
Despite the existence of the Chamber of Commerce and other business lobby groups, the business community is relatively disorganized. Each corporation or industry lobby group – especially those, like developers and landlords, who have a stake in city policy – pursues their own agenda, joining forces only when there’s an issue (like the minimum wage or an increase in corporate taxes or taxes on the rich) that effects all of them. Businesses donate more money to candidates and for ballot measures than other interests. Once an anti-union city, LA’s labor movement has increased its political clout over the past few decades and is, without doubt, the strongest force against the corporate establishment. Most union members are renters, so it isn’t surprising that in recent years, unions that represent low-wage workers have gotten more involved in housing issues. Demographically, LA has a very diverse population and a large number of immigrants and children of immigrants. About two thirds of LA’s four million residents are renters. Many residents have modest incomes and have a hard time paying rent. Even many school teachers and nurses can’t afford LA’s high rents.
Karen Bass and Nithya Raman have both been pathbreakers. Bass is LA’s first woman mayor and its second African American mayor (after Tom Bradley). Raman is the first Indian American to serve on the City Council.
Bass has an impressive background as an effective community organizer. She founded the Community Coalition and helped build bridges across race and geography after the 1992 uprising. She was a progressive state legislator. As speaker of the state Assembly – a powerful position -- she orchestrated progressive victories on the budget and on key issues like child welfare and health insurance. She was also a progressive leader in Congress (2011 to 2022) as well, serving as chair of the Black Caucus and spearheading legislation around voting rights, police abuses and criminal justice, immigration, foster care, student loans, and other issues.
In 2022 Bass left Congress to run for mayor, defeating conservative billionaire developer Rick Caruso despite being greatly outspent. She had a clear mandate from liberal and progressive voters. As mayor, she’s had some significant accomplishments on a range of issues, but they have been overshadowed by public perception over the persistence of homelessness and the city’s efforts to rebuild after the Pacific Palisades fire, and, most recently, an accident at the Lineage refrigerated warehouse fire in Boyle Heights that generated a great deal of pollution.
Bass rose to the occasion when Trump sent federal ICE, border patrol, and National Guard troops to invade LA in order to arrest and deport immigrants. Her forceful opposition to Trump united the city and inspired other mayors to follow her example.
Among the mayors of America’s major cities, Bass is among the most pro-union. In May 2025, Bass signed into law a set of union-sponsored ordinances benefitting employees in the hotel industry and at LAX, raising the minimum wage in those sectors to $30 by 2028, when LA will host the Olympic games and the hotels, airport, and restaurants will be filled with tourists. But in May, Bass and the City Council postponed implementation of the Olympic wage law until 2030, angering the labor movement. Raman and three other Council members - Eunisses Hernandez, Ysabel Jurado, and Hugo Soto-Martinez – opposed the delay. Bass played a positive role in mediating the conflict between LAUSD and their unionized teachers and service workers, in order to avoid a strike, to the relief of many parents.
Bass has disappointed progressives with some of her policy choices. In general, she’s governed as a moderate, taking much of her progressive base for granted while not always standing up to NIMBYs and developers. She has been a strong supporter of Air BNB’s efforts to kill regulations that hold the company accountable. This has been a big issue of the hotel workers union, who correctly view the expansion of Air BNB a threat to many hotel jobs.
Some progressives hope that if she wins a second term – which would be her last because of term limits – and because she isn’t going to run for another office, she will shift gears and govern as a progressive. Whether that is wishful thinking remains to be seen.
In a city that was once the most polluted in the country, the Bass Administration has made significant inroads on climate issues. The city officially eliminated coal-generated electricity two years ahead of its goal - a milestone in LA's transition to 100% clean energy by 2035. This is the first time that LA’s energy needs have not been powered by any coal at all. Since Bass took office, nearly 16,000 EV chargers had been installed — a 77% increase. LA has more EV charging stations than any other American city. She has significantly increased the number of buildings powered by solar energy, thanks in part to DWP’s generous support of solar in comparison with other public and private utilities in California. Under Bass’ watch, the city is doubling the number of people who will have purified clean recycled water by 2028, including 500,000 residents in the San Fernando Valley and, underway, another 1.2 million people in other parts of the city. The Port of LA now has 600 electric trucks calling on the LA Terminals through hefty subsidies as part of the larger goal of cleaning up pollution at the Port. Bass helped get a $412 million grant from the federal EPA to convert gas-powered cargo equipment at the port to electric power. She created a long-term capital infrastructure plan that increases the repair of potholes and will install up to 60,000 solar-powered street lights, and other essential aspects of civic housekeeping.
On her first day as mayor, Bass declared the homeless crisis an emergency and pledged to address the problem head-on. Over the last two or three decades, Los Angeles has not experienced reductions in the number of homeless people. But Bass raised expectations that she would be an exception. She has, in fact, made some headway. Over two years, while street homelessness increased 18% nationwide, it declined by 18% in LA – the first time in recent memory that the number of homeless people and the number of people living and dying on our streets declined two years in a row. This is due in large part to Bass’ Inside Safe initiative, which involves moving unhoused people to interim housing with wrap-around services. The program has moved 5,540 people from the streets to a room or apartment. The city has purchased a number of apartment buildings and hotels for that purpose as well. Bass’ critics note that about 40% of those people returned to the street over three years, which means that about 60% remained housed so they could benefit from job training, mental health services, and other needed services. Inside Safe has been particularly effective at moving veterans from the streets to safe housing – a real success story. And the Mayor’s Fund has focused on securing legal support for thousands of individuals facing evictions but more funding is needed. The city has used funds from the ULA tax (sometimes called the “mansion tax”) to expand the “right to counsel” for renters at risk of eviction. Bass also helped lead the successful campaign for Measure A — a countywide ballot measure that will fund renter protection and homelessness prevention programs.
The truth is, however, that no city, on its own, has the resources to address these problems without federal help and Washington has been cutting rather than expanding funds for housing and social services. As the term suggests, interim housing is a short-term solution. The city needs to build more low-income housing and use its rent control program to stop landlords from raising rents too quickly and too high. To expedite the construction of new low-income housing, Bass pledged to fast-track such projects and has done so for about 40,000 units through her Executive Directive #1, according to her office. But she later changed the order to make projects in single-family areas ineligible for fast-tracking. Housing activists are not happy that she did not support construction of the Venice-Dell project (140 units of low-income housing) that had already been approved and had the needed funding but was opposed by two conservatives – Council member Traci Park and City Attorney Haydee Feldstein Soto – on behalf of neighborhood NYMBYs.
During Bass’ four year term so far, the number of homicides and shooting victims has dramatically declined. In fact, the homicide rate is the lowest since 1966. Her critics, however, were upset with Bass when she agreed to increase the LAPD budget and police officers’ salaries. These wage increases were in sync with what other municipal employees received and what many other cities pay, but the broader question is whether some of the LAPD budget should be diverted to address other solutions to crime.
Her support for a new downtown convention center was controversial. Some thought the city had more important needs that could use the money. But her supporters among both labor and business viewed the project as a source of both construction jobs and permanent union jobs. It is also seen by its supporters as a key way to reactivate downtown.
In her first term, Bass was much too close to City Attorney Hydee Soto, who has been anti-tenant and anti-union. Fortunately, in June Soto lost her bid for re-election. If Marissa Roy wins her race for City Attorney this year, it will bring a much-needed sea-change in that office, regardless who wins the mayoral contest.
Before running for office, Nithya Raman, a city planner by training, organized a volunteer effort to provide direct aid for homeless Angelenos in her Silver Lake neighborhood called SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition. In 2020 she surprised pundits by defeating an incumbent City Council member for the first time in 17 years. The Los Angeles Times described it as “a political earthquake.”
During her first term, a majority of her Council colleagues tried to engineer her defeat by changing the boundaries of her district. Nevertheless, she won re-election in 2024, running as a progressive with the support of her ally, Mayor Bass, as well as DSA.
Raman initially supported Bass’ Inside Safe plan, which she utilized to help move homeless people in her own council district from the streets into safe housing. She was one of three council members to oppose a city ordinance to ban homeless encampments within 500 feet of schools and day care centers, arguing that the law would simply result in moving homeless people from neighborhood to neighborhood.
Raman’s most impressive achievement on the Council was as chair of its housing and homelessness committee. In particular, Raman sponsored ordinances -- supported by Bass and adopted by the council – to strengthen tenants rights to address arbitrary evictions and to cap maximum annual rent increase at between 1% and 4% for about three-quarters of LA’s rental units. It was the first major reform of the city’s rent control law in 40 years. In doing so, she angered the city’s landlord lobby.
She’s been more favorable toward developers. She sponsored legislation to speed up housing production through zoning and planning reforms and to reduce delays by reforming the permitting process. She initially supported Measure ULA, a tax on properties that sell for over $5 million, which voters passed in 2022. The revenues – over $1 billion since 2023 and growing steadily – are used to provide emergency subsidies and legal help to renters facing eviction and to build more affordable housing with union workers. But in January she had a change of heart and embraced a plan, promoted by the real estate industry, to weaken the voter-approved law by exempting many properties and thus reducing future revenues by about 40%. She claimed, without solid evidence, that the ULA tax had become an obstacle to the construction of new market-rate housing development and embraced the view that the city needed to encourage the construction of expensive apartment buildings to address the housing shortage – an argument right out of the real industry’s talking points.
A few weeks later, hours before the candidate filing deadline, she surprised almost everyone, including her council colleagues and her supporters, by announcing that she was going to run for mayor against Bass, who had been her ally and supporter in her re-election campaign and whom Raman had recently endorsed for mayor.
Many observers believe that Raman’s change-of-heart on Measure ULA was designed to lay the groundwork for her mayoral run and get the support of major developers, if not landlords. It certainly upset many progressives – including ULA’s supporters among unions, tenant groups, and social justice organizations -- who viewed Raman’s actions as a stab in the back. It should be said, however, that Bass not long ago supported the plan to exempt newly-built market-rate apartment buildings from the tax for their first 15 years – in order to get the real estate industry and the Howard Jarvis anti-government organization to back down from waging a campaign to eliminate ULA and other transfer taxes in other cities through a November ballot measure. The City Council formed a subcommittee to consider weakening ULA, an idea opposed by tenant groups, most unions, and developers of affordable housing. After months of lobbying and negotiations, Measure ULA remained pretty much what it was, with some minor changes. In August, City Council president Marqueece Harris-Dawson, a close ally of Bass, removed Raman as chair of the Housing and Homelessness Committee.
Raman has generally been pro labor, but she’s disappointed most of the city’s unions, who are backing Bass. She broke ranks with Bass by opposing significant pay increases for the police, a decision that angered the LA Police Protective League. The previous mayor, Eric Garcetti, appointed Raman to serve on the AQMD board, the regional environmental agency, where she was a forceful advocate on climate change matters, but was removed by Bass. She has criticized Bass’ response to the fires and criticized LAPD’s slow response to 911 calls.
Raman has been understandably frustrated by the arcane rules that for years have made it difficult to get big things done at City Hall. She has pledged to revamp how City Hall works (or doesn’t work), including Bass’ approach to homelessness. As a Council member, she’s had some successes, particularly around tenants rights, but governing a city the size of LA, with its arcane municipal rules and a powerful Council with their 15 fiefdoms, isn’t easy.
There are at least three Council members (Hugo Soto Martinez, Eunisses Hernandez, and Ysabel Jurado) to Raman’s left, and if Estuardo Mazariegos wins his race this year, the left flank will have a significant bloc to influence policy. Raman has generally been an ally of her colleagues to her left, although no Council members have endorsed her in her race for mayor. DSA has endorsed Raman, although it was somewhat lukewarm. Raman is not a socialist like the current mayors of New York City and Seattle, but her willingness to align herself with and seek the endorsement of DSA is welcome. Whether DSA will continue to embrace her if she wins, and will have to compromise on some issues, will be an interesting political test.
Raman’s last-minute decision to run the mayor against her one-time ally alienated some supporters (including some Council colleagues) and pleased others. A successful mayor has to know the ropes about LA’s city bureaucracy in order to fix it, work closely with the Council, and cultivate federal, state, and county officials to work together on difficult problems. Raman has a charismatic personality and has mobilized many volunteers in her two Council races. She has been a bit of a loner on the Council and, if elected, will need to strengthen her relationships with Council members.
