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Los Angeles<\/a> city council member Nithya Raman formally entered the race for mayor on Saturday, unveiling her campaign during a press conference.<\/p>\n Representing areas that stretch from the San Fernando Valley to Silver Lake, Raman declared her candidacy just hours before the filing deadline. She now joins a field that includes former reality television personality Spencer Pratt, Housing Now California<\/a> deputy director Rae Huang, veteran city engineer Asaad Alnajjar and the incumbent mayor, Karen Bass.<\/p>\n During her remarks, Raman said she is concerned that the city \u201cis no longer a place of opportunity\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cLos Angeles is at a breaking point, and people feel it in the most basic ways,\u201d she said. \u201cHousing costs are forcing families out of the city, a homelessness system that lacks clear ownership and accountability is leaving people stuck in crisis while the city cycles from emergency to emergency. Too many people don\u2019t feel safe walking down their own blocks at night, even as crime comes down because broken street lights stay broken and the city can\u2019t seem to manage the basics.\u201d<\/p>\n She continued: \u201cAnd while everyone agrees we need more housing, the city still struggles to lead with urgency, building too little too slowly while working families get priced out over and over again.\u201d<\/p>\n Raman also argued that Los Angeles needs a mayor who will hold city departments accountable, plan ahead for emergencies, and push for increased housing supply and affordability. During her tenure on the city council, she has focused on rent stabilization and efforts to address homelessness.<\/p>\n Her entry into the race sets up what could be a strong challenge to Bass, who is running for a second four-year term. The incumbent has faced scrutiny<\/a> recently over her handling of the historic wildfires that burned parts of LA early last year.<\/p>\n Raman has previously been a close ally of Bass and was the first council member elected with backing from the Democratic Socialists of America, which achieved a major win<\/a> last fall with the election of New York City\u2019s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani.<\/p>\n