Los Angeles – This week, Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman won the election for Los Angeles Mayor, ousting incumbent Mayor Karen Bass. Raman’s campaign emphasized affordability and called for transparency and accountability from City Hall.

The 2025 Los Angeles Fires were a prominent issue on the campaign trail with concerns over lackluster recovery efforts. In addition to Raman’s rebuilding commitments, her plans to aid in fire mitigation include fixing water infrastructure and a permanent funding structure for sustainable brush clearance, vegetated buffer zones, and retrofits for vulnerable neighborhoods.

After intense heatwaves throughout summer and fall, residents are left paying higher utility bills. Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) customers faced rates by about 8% higher than last year, and by about 45% higher than when Mayor Karen Bass took office for a typical household’s electricity usage. Raman has committed to holding LADWP to their goal of 100% clean energy by 2035 in addition to fully auditing LADWP to prevent fraud and protect ratepayers.

Raman supports a moratorium on large-scale data centers, recognizing the impact that they have on our water and electricity rates.

Food & Water Action Los Angeles Organizing Manager Andrea Vega released the following statement: 

“This week Angelenos came together in a clear rebuke of the status quo politics that have thrown our city into dysfunction. In the aftermath of last year’s horrific Los Angeles Fires, rather than recovery and accountability, City Hall continued to sluggishly fall behind. But with these results, complacency at City Hall should come to an end.

“As Los Angeles faces the effects of the climate crisis and an affordability crisis, Nithya Raman campaigned on a bold vision for a better future. Raman’s dedication to public service and her commitment to working class families is what we need to rebuild our city and come out even stronger.”