Saturday Night Live cast a spotlight on the Los Angeles mayoral election in its latest episode.
“Nithya Raman, democratic socialist, was elected mayor of Los Angeles. That’s right,” Michael Che, co-host of Weekend Update said. “Because LA is always a year behind us on every trend.”
The quip got some cheers during Weekend Update’s roundup of major headlines coming out of the midterms, including that top aide Stephen Miller was tapped to be White House chief of staff.
Raman has garnered comparisons with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for their democratic socialist ties throughout the race. Mamdani, who earned the endorsement of the Democratic Socialists of America New York City chapter, was sworn into office at the start of the year.
“I’m LA’s
Nithya Raman,” Raman said when asked if she’s the city’s Mamdani in an interview with CNN’s Elex Michaelson.
The progressive Los Angeles city councilmember defeated incumbent Mayor Karen Bass with 55% of the vote, according to the latest Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk results. County elections officials are scheduled to certify election results on Nov. 27.
It is the first time since 2005 that an incumbent Los Angeles mayor has lost.
“Here in Los Angeles, this election is about change, too,” Raman told supporters after polls closed on Nov. 3. “A city that was engineered over the last few decades to resist change, and the people right here who said enough is enough.”
What has Nithya Raman said about DSA?
Raman said that part of her hope for Los Angeles is to build a “big tent progressive coalition that can dream of a better city together.” DSA is “part of that,” she said at the end of September. Although DSA-LA endorsed Raman in September, the organization and the city councilmember haven't always been on the same side while she was a city councilmember.
The Los Angeles Times reported that a national DSA panel voted on whether to rescind the endorsement the day before the election.
“I’ve proven myself to be an independent voice during my time on the council,” Raman said in September. She added that she’s taken heat from people for speaking out on issues she doesn’t agree with, or on issues she’s changed her mind about.
Raman called herself both a democratic socialist and a capitalist in an interview with Michaelson. She said she disagrees with DSA positions such as abolishing the police and prisons.
Who is Nithya Raman?
It’s not the first time Raman has defeated an incumbent; she won a city council seat in 2020, backed by the DSA-LA chapter.
Bass, who made history as the first woman to serve as mayor of Los Angeles when she was elected in 2022, is an experienced elected official who found herself tasked with overseeing a city facing devastating fires, clashes with federal immigration enforcement, and persistent concerns about homelessness. Prior to her mayoralty, she served in the House of Representatives and in California’s Legislature.
“Look around. We have had enough of establishment politics,” Raman said to supporters on Nov. 3. “This campaign has made it clear that the days of our broken status quo are over.”
The Bass vs. Raman matchup emerged in February, when the city councilmember joined the race just before a key deadline to run for mayor. Raman has pushed for renters’ protections; shaped Los Angeles’ Sanctuary City ordinance; wants to scale up unarmed crisis response in the city and has been critical of the Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell, arguing that the LAPD under his leadership appeared to prioritize protecting ICE over local residents.
When does the new mayor take office?
Her term begins Dec. 14.
A Los Angeles mayor's term is four years with a two-term maximum, according to the Los Angeles City Clerk's office.
Paris Barraza covers Los Angeles and Southern California for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at pbarraza@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: SNL pokes fun at LA mayor election. What happened?
