L.A. Mayoral Challenger Slams Karen Bass’ Housing Record: ‘We’ve Made It Too Difficult To Build’

Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman is pushing back against Mayor Karen Bass' claims that her administration has been effective at accelerating local homebuilding, as L.A. is named the nation's worst major metro for affordability.Raman, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America running to unseat Bass, a Democrat, in the November mayoral election, argues that the incumbent has not meaningfully moved the needle on housing in L.A. "Tens of thousands of Angelenos who are struggling to afford rent will agree that Mayor Bass has not done enough to address the housing crisis in this city," Raman tells Realtor.com® in a statement. The politician spoke out after Bass defended her record on housing and touted her administrative initiatives aimed at streamlining approval for tens of thousands of units of affordable housing. Those initiatives include a historic rezoning program with the goal of creating nearly 500,000 new homes by 2029, updating rent stabilization rules, and simplifying the review of building applications. "After decades of inaction, Mayor Bass has been laser-focused on slashing red tape and accelerating the building of affordable housing in Los Angeles," Bass' ...