YIMBY-backed Raman seeks to beat LA Mayor Bass on housing

While housing supply and zoning reform advocates have steered clear of gubernatorial races, they’re all-in on the race to run City Hall in the second-largest U.S. city. In the Los Angeles Nov. 3 mayoral runoff, “yes in my backyard” and housing abundance groups have lined up to unseat Mayor Karen Bass. They back City Councilmember Nithya Raman, who wants a more aggressive approach to building housing faster, rather than finding ways to blunt state law mandates. Los Angeles’ mayor’s race looks a lot like New York City’s did this time last year. An insurgent challenger is running against an establishment-backed incumbent, and housing is the main dividing line. Zohran Mamdani won in New York on a promise to build more affordable housing faster. Mayor Eric Adams dropped out before Election Day. Mamdani previously was a New York state assemblyman. Raman is on the L.A. City Council. Both identify as democratic socialists. Who is backing whom Both L.A. mayoral candidates say they champion housing affordability. But the dividing line is how to accelerate supply and where to rezone for greater density in more city neighborhoods. Bass has defended her stance on maintaining local zoning contro...