Bass launches '15 in 15' tour in Council District 4 following debate as Raman counters with new ad

LOS ANGELES - Following Tuesday's mayoral debate, Karen Bass is embarking on a ‘15 in 15’ campaign tour, with scheduled events occurring in each of the 15 city council districts. 

The tour kicked off today in Sherman Oaks, Council District 4, which is represented by her challenger, Nithya Raman. The tour launch comes as both candidates make their final push three weeks before the November 3 General Election.

According to Bass' office, she will meet with constituents who say Raman has been "absent and failed to lead while the Mayor stepped up to resolve issues in their communities."

Raman campaign drops new ad

The other side:

The Raman campaign responded by noting that Raman attended a City Council meeting Wednesday morning and a committee meeting in the afternoon.

Her campaign began airing a new TV ad making her case for change, featuring LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia. They touted her succuss with homelessness, saying, under Raman, District 4 has had the "largest decrease of homelessness of any council district in the city this past year." 

By the numbers:

Citing data from the 2026 LAHSA Annual Point in Time Count, the campaign noted that street homelessness dropped by 49% this past year. The number of homeless people sleeping in cars dropped by 23%, vans by 60%, RVs by 52%, and tents by 47%. 

"Under Nithya, the number of tents, encampments and RVs has decreased by 70% during the three years she has represented this district, since redistricting. Encino was added to Nithya's district after redistricting," her campaign stated to FOX 11. 

Additionally, the campaign cited data from a recent UC Berkeley IGS / Los Angeles Times Poll showing Raman leading Bass 34% to 26%.

"Bass is deeply unpopular in the Valley, with 68% of voters viewing her unfavorably, and only 24% of voters viewing her favorably. Citywide, Bass has 63% unfavorable ratings, with 28% favorable and 9% having no opinion. In contrast, 40% had a favorable view of Nithya citywide, while 39% said they had an unfavorable view of her and 21% had no opinion," her campaign detailed. 

Debate clash over homelessness, LAPD, and emergency response

Dig deeper:

During the mayoral debate, Bass touted her accomplishments in reducing homelessness for the first time in years through her signature initiative, Inside Safe, as well as supporting the construction of affordable housing units via her first executive directive.

Bass emphasized that voters will have a significant choice for mayor.

"Voters need to look at my team. She (Raman) has been in Los Angeles for 13 years and has served on two councils at that time. She has consistently voted against police officers. She has consistently voted to not remove encampments in front of schools, so parents and kids have to navigate their way through," Bass said.

Raman touted that her policies resulted in nearly 50% reduction in homelessness for her district. The councilwoman countered that under Bass, the city is struggling.

"As I have been around the city talking to voters through this campaign, the answer for too many Angelenos has been the same... what I have heard from them is that we've had a major who has been MIA. For me, that is simply unacceptable," Raman said.

"I know that the city can do better," Raman added. "We've seen a reduction in homelessness, nearly 50%, even as it rose across the city, and I've delivered real constituent services consistently. And that's what I hope to deliver."

While the city experienced a reduction in homelessness in the last three years, there was a 3.4% increase from 2025, according to data from the annual point-in-time count.

Bass argued the increase was a result of state legislators reducing funding for LA. She further stated that LA needs to be in complete control of the system.

RELATED: LA County to take over key homelessness program functions amid LAHSA scrutiny

Key exchanges from the debate

Inside Safe & Program Costs: Raman argued that progress on homelessness has been slow, stating that under Bass, the city has "poured hundreds of millions of dollars into an incredibly expensive program, Inside Safe, which has been unaccountable to the public, for which she (Bass) has refused audits, and which has brought down homelessness a little bit, but at extraordinary cost." Bass argued that a 3.4% rise in homelessness from 2025 resulted from state funding reductions, stating the city needs complete control of the system "so, we can have transparency and accountability."

Anti-Camping Law (41.18): Bass hounded Raman for voting against municipal anti-camping enforcement zones. Raman responded that street homelessness is "unacceptable to me," adding: "That's why I push back against the kind of legislation that, at its most effective, uses scarcity resources to move an encampment across the street."

Police Chief & Public Safety: Raman noted she wants to replace LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, stating she believes "he's lost the trust of Angelenos, especially in response to the ICE raids." Bass criticized the proposal, arguing that removing the chief as the 2028 Olympic Games approach would send the department into disarray.

2026 ElectionsKaren BassLos Angeles