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Nithya RamanCredit: Taylor Parise<\/p>\nThree mayoral candidates took the stage Monday night to debate solutions for issues impacting the city they seek to serve <\/p>\n
In the first mayoral debate of the year, three leading candidates \u2014 all with divergent backgrounds \u2014 took the stage to discuss homelessness, housing and Los Angeles infrastructure.<\/p>\n
Nithya Raman brought her perspective as the 4th District Los Angeles City Council member, emphasizing her experience with policy and navigating bureaucratic processes. By contrast, Rae Huang said her work as a community organizer makes her the ideal candidate.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been in our streets, I\u2019ve been in our neighborhoods, and I\u2019ve been on the doorsteps of Los Angeles organizing on the ground for over 10 years,\u201d Huang said.<\/p>\n
Coming from a business background, Adam Miller told attendees he has a long history of \u201cleading from the front lines,\u201d having co-founded the nonprofit Better Angels to combat homelessness in the city.<\/p>\n
Notably absent from the debate was Karen Bass, who is running for a second term and is leading in recent polls. Reality TV personality Spencer Pratt also declined the invitation.<\/p>\n
The debate was organized by Streets For All and Housing Action Coalition. Streets For All founder Michael Schneider and Housing Action Coalition Southern California Director Jesse Zwick moderated the event.<\/p>\n
Nithya RamanCredit: Taylor Parise<\/p>\n
Housing, Housing, Housing<\/strong><\/p>\n One issue all candidates agreed on was that Los Angeles needs to build more homes.<\/p>\n Scroll to continue reading<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re making it more expensive to build the thing we\u2019re saying we need the most in L.A.,\u201d Raman said.<\/p>\n Raman, who chairs the City Council\u2019s Housing and Homelessness Committee, proposed several reforms. To reduce bureaucracy, she suggested implementing a \u201cshot clock,\u201d or deadline, for project approvals to streamline development. She also said fees for new housing projects must be lowered and the appeals process improved.<\/p>\n Huang pointed to what she described as a dysfunctional system within City Hall as the root cause, vowing to create an office called \u201cHousing for All.\u201d The office, she said, would work alongside government agencies to ensure housing projects increase and remain on budget.<\/p>\n \u201cL.A. has completely failed at building,\u201d Miller said, adding that the city\u2019s housing crisis cannot be solved by a single organization. He did not propose a specific plan but said he would take a \u201cholistic\u201d approach.<\/p>\n Street Safety<\/strong><\/p>\n Los Angeles has seen a recent drop in traffic fatalities, with a 6% decrease reported in 2025.<\/p>\n However, traffic safety remained a point of contention at Monday\u2019s debate, with 290 deaths reported last year.<\/p>\n Moderators asked the candidates whether they would support reinstating red-light cameras, which automatically issue tickets to drivers who run red lights and were removed in 2011.<\/p>\n The question appeared to catch Huang off guard. She asked for clarification and ultimately said she does not support what she described as community surveillance.<\/p>\n Both Raman and Miller disagreed, saying the city should reinstate the program to improve street safety.<\/p>\n \u201cSpeeding kills, and automated enforcement is one tool in our toolkit to address this,\u201d Raman said. \u201cI would make sure that any automated enforcement tool we\u2019re using does not share data and does not add to surveillance, but instead increases safety, and that\u2019s possible to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Mayor Karen Bass\u2019s Inside Safe <\/strong><\/p>\n Inside Safe is a program launched by Bass that relocates unhoused individuals from encampments to hotel rooms as they transition toward permanent housing.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_9387-1-800x1200.jpg\"\/)
Rae HuangCredit: Taylor Parise<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_9029-1200x800.jpg\"\/)
Adam MillerCredit: Taylor Parise<\/p>\n