Washington, Oct 22 (SocialNews.XYZ) Indian-American Los Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman has apologised for invoking former police chief Daryl Gates, even as she picked up the endorsement of county supervisor Lindsey Horvath days before vote centres open across the city.
Raman apologised privately to a South Los Angeles community group and on a podcast for her reference to Gates, Politico’s California Playbook newsletter reported on Wednesday.
The Los Angeles Times reported on October 16 on the controversy over the remark in Raman’s race against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass. Gates led the Los Angeles Police Department during the 1992 riots and remains a deeply divisive figure in the city, particularly in South Los Angeles.
Separately, Horvath, a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, endorsed Raman on October 20, the Los Angeles Times reported. She is the only county supervisor backing Raman, the paper said.
The endorsement gives Raman, a member of the Los Angeles City Council, a prominent ally as she seeks to unseat Bass.
Meanwhile, businessman Rick Caruso, who lost to Bass in the 2022 mayoral race, praised the mayor but endorsed neither candidate, NBC Los Angeles reported. Caruso criticised Raman’s plan to remove Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell, according to the station.
Raman has also proposed an audit of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power as high utility bills become a key campaign issue, ABC7 reported.
Raman did not post on her X account about the apology or the endorsement during the past day.
Los Angeles voters can begin casting ballots in person when 11-day vote centres open on October 24, ahead of the November 3 election.
Raman, born in Kerala and raised partly in Zambia before moving to the US as a child, was first elected to the city council in 2020, becoming the first Indian-American and Asian-American woman on the council.
She has positioned herself as a progressive challenger focused on homelessness, housing affordability and city services, while Bass has highlighted her record on reducing street homelessness and the city’s recovery from the January 2025 wildfires, including in Pacific Palisades.
Policing has emerged as one of the sharpest lines of division in the race. Raman’s plan to replace McDonnell has drawn criticism from Caruso and others who say the city needs stability at the top of the department, according to NBC Los Angeles.
The Bass campaign did not immediately respond to the apology.
A Raman victory would make her the first Indian-American mayor of Los Angeles, the second-largest city in the United States.
Source: IANS
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