A former supporter explains his switch
Black, 52, said he and his husband, Olympic diver Tom Daley, hosted the October 16 event advertised as "A Reception with Nithya Raman." In an Instagram post, he accused Raman of missing it without warning and her staff of lying about the reason.
"If this were unique to us I would have taken the knock. But in conversations with other previous Raman supporters I discovered this is Raman's way," he wrote. Black, who won the 2009 Oscar for best original screenplay for Milk, said he had supported Raman but concluded that "it turns out she is not a dependable politician."
In a video shared with his 500,000 Instagram followers, Black said Bass's willingness to show up helped win his endorsement. "With the challenges ahead, I think the most important thing is to have experience and to show up," he said. "One of the candidates showed up as promised, and the other did not."
The Daily Mail said it had contacted Raman's campaign for comment.
Polls point to a close runoff
Raman, a Los Angeles city councilwoman, entered the mayoral race in February with only hours remaining before the filing deadline. She had endorsed Bass just weeks earlier, and the mayor described the challenge as a "surprise." In June, Raman defeated former reality television star Spencer Pratt in the primary and advanced to a runoff against Bass.
After overcoming a double-digit deficit, Raman reached 40% support in last week's UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies and Los Angeles Times poll, matching Bass. A September Los Angeles Times poll had put Raman 11 points ahead. Most analysts expect a close vote on November 3.
Bass's endorsers include Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Vice President Kamala Harris, the Los Angeles County Democratic Party and 13 of the City Council's 15 members, according to the Los Angeles Daily News.
Raman has support from the Democratic Socialists of America's Los Angeles chapter, the California Working Families Party, UNITE HERE Local 11 and the Western States Regional Council of Carpenters, as well as City Controller Kenneth Mejia and County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath. ABC7 Los Angeles reports that the national DSA is considering withdrawing its endorsement because members believe she has not been strong enough against Israel.
Police leadership and Olympic preparations
Public safety has become a focus of Bass's closing argument. Speaking to the California Post on Sunday while voting with her family, she said, "I think four years under Nithya Raman would present a tremendous amount of chaos." Bass also warned of "chaos from day one," predicting police departures and federal intervention in preparations for the 2028 Olympics.
Bass tied those warnings to Raman's promise to remove LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, arguing that officers would leave with him and uncertainty over his successor would disrupt the department. "I don't think she has a clue what it takes to get a police chief for the nation's second-largest city," Bass said.
Raman has cited McDonnell's handling of protests and federal immigration enforcement as reasons to replace him. But she has not committed to a timetable and says the Police Commission and City Council would be involved, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. She has also pointed to her endorsement from former LAPD Chief Bernard Parks.
Bass made a similar argument at the October 13 NBC4/Telemundo 52 debate. With the Olympics "640 days away," she said, replacing the chief would throw the LAPD into disarray.
The Olympics are also a separate point of contention. According to Politico, Raman opposed the city's bid when she first ran for City Council in 2020, telling the local DSA chapter that the process had been rushed and lacked public input. She has since voted against contracts with the organizers. Bass allies, including City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, are attacking that record as the race tightens.
Homelessness plans and competing records
Raman's first-100-days plan calls for beginning to redirect city homelessness funding away from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, or LAHSA, and asking Mejia to audit all city spending on homelessness. Her stated goal is to bring people indoors and eliminate tents and encampments across Los Angeles by the end of her first term.
The Los Angeles Daily News reports that LAHSA recorded two consecutive annual declines in homelessness before an increase in 2026. The city's overall homeless population rose 3.4% this year, while the unsheltered population grew 7.9%. Raman cites a different trend in her council district: a 49% decline in unsheltered homelessness over the past year, from 181 people in 2025 to 93 in 2026.
Campaign funds and outside spending
Bass led in direct fundraising, but Raman had more money available heading into the final weeks. As of October 17, Bass had collected about $2 million in direct contributions and nearly $1.45 million in public matching funds, compared with Raman's roughly $1.5 million in direct contributions and $1.51 million in matching funds. Raman reported about $1.38 million in cash on hand; Bass reported about $632,000. The figures come from the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission, as reported by the Los Angeles Daily News.
Outside spending has dominated the runoff, the newspaper reports. Estamos con Nithya for Mayor of LA 2026, an independent expenditure committee sponsored by the Western States Regional Council of Carpenters, raised more than $10 million for Raman's candidacy. That included $6 million from Aaron Sosnick, a hedge fund manager based in Reno. The Los Angeles Police Protective League, Airbnb and other groups have spent heavily to support Bass or oppose Raman.
Raman's campaign has also filed an ethics complaint against the Bass-supporting super PAC Thrive LA, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. The complaint followed the group's posting of signs inviting voters to call a telephone number and speak with an AI-generated version of Raman.
