Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman took a significant lead over incumbent Mayor Karen Bass on Wednesday, according to a new poll. Still, thousands of voters remain undecided.
A UC Berkeley poll, co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times, found that more than 39% of voters favor Raman, rather than the 28% who support Bass. However, 33% were still undecided when the poll was conducted between Sept. 15-20. The statistics surface before ballots will roll out in October.
This is the most hopeful Raman’s campaign has looked so far throughout her run, indicating Angelenos are turning away from current Mayor Bass.
“Raman clearly has the advantage. Her task is a little less onerous than Bass’,” Mark DiCamillo, the director of the poll, told the LA Times.
One hurdle in Bass’ campaign is her high unfavorability rating. With 63% of prospective voters finding her unfavorable, only 28% have a favorable view. Raman beats this with a 40% favorability rating.
Public opinion of Bass plummeted following the 2025 Palisades fire, with 56% of likely voters rating her response to the disaster poor or very poor. Former rival candidate Spencer Pratt’s home was one of the 4,000 structures destroyed in ...