Los Angeles Mayor, Nov. 3: Karen Bass and Nithya Raman

Los Angeles voters will choose a mayor on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Two candidates are on the general-election ballot, having advanced from the June top-two primary. This brief covers every candidate on the ballot and makes no endorsement.

THE OFFICE

The mayor proposes the city budget — nearly $15 billion in the current year — hires department heads including the police chief, and signs or vetoes City Council ordinances. The office is nonpartisan; each candidate’s registered party is given once below.

THE CANDIDATES, alphabetical by last name

Karen Bass (Democratic) is the incumbent. She’s been mayor of Los Angeles since 2022 and is a former member of Congress and former Speaker of the California Assembly. She says she’d keep the city’s focus on interim housing until the last street encampment is gone. She campaigns on strengthening public safety and improving city services such as street and sidewalk repair.

Nithya Raman (Democratic) has been the Los Angeles City Councilmember for District 4 since 2020 and is an urban planner. She says she’d cut the number of people living in tents and encampments by at least half and tie homelessness funding to measured results. She campaigns on building more housing and delivering basic city services such as working streetlights and safe sidewalks.

NOT SETTLED

Much of what either candidate proposes on housing and the budget needs City Council approval — the mayor of Los Angeles can’t enact most policies alone.

FOR THE VOTER

The deadline to register online or by mail in California is Oct. 19, and after that you can still register conditionally in person through Election Day. Every registered California voter gets a ballot in the mail. Check or update your registration at registertovote.ca.gov; Los Angeles County ballot and voting information is at lavote.gov.

Drafted by News Observed Editorial AI, human reviewed and published.