Nithya Raman

Extracted Attributes

• Spouse

  Vali Chandrasekaran

• Education

  Harvard University (Bachelor of Arts in Political Theory), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Master of Urban Planning)

• Full Name

  Nithya V. Raman

• Date of Birth

  1981-07-28

• Current Office

  Los Angeles City Councilmember, 4th District

• Place of Birth

  Kerala, India

• Political Affiliations

  Democratic Party, Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)

Timeline

• Nithya Raman is born in Kerala, India. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1981-07-28

• Immigrates to the United States at the age of six, settling in Louisiana. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1987-01-01

• Assumes office as a member of the Los Angeles City Council representing the 4th district after defeating incumbent David Ryu. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2020-12-14

• Appointed to the board of the South Coast Air Quality Management District by Mayor Eric Garcetti. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2022-02-01

• Decisively re-elected to a second term on the Los Angeles City Council. (Source: Web Search)

  2024-03-05

• Assumes office as Assistant President Pro Tempore of the Los Angeles City Council. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2025-01-28

• Files candidate paperwork to run for Mayor of Los Angeles in the 2026 election. (Source: Web Search)

  2026-02-07

Nithya Raman

Nithya V. Raman (born July 28, 1981) is an American urban planner, activist, and politician serving as the Los Angeles city councilmember for the 4th district since 2020. Raman, a member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of America, defeated incumbent councilmember David Ryu in 2020 and was re-elected in 2024. Raman is running for mayor of Los Angeles in the 2026 election.

Web Search Results

• Nithya Raman - Wikipedia

  Nithya V. Raman (born July 28, 1981) is an American urban planner, activist, and politician serving as the Los Angeles city councilmember for the 4th district since 2020. Raman, a member of the Democratic Party "Democratic Party (United States)") and the Democratic Socialists of America, defeated incumbent councilmember David Ryu in 2020 and was re-elected in 2024. Raman is running for mayor of Los Angeles in the 2026 election. ## Early life and career Nithya Raman was born into a Tamil family in Kerala, India, and moved to Louisiana at 6 years old. She earned a bachelor's degree in political theory from Harvard University then a master's degree in urban planning from MIT. [...] | Nithya Raman | | --- | | Official portrait, 2022 | | | | | | Assistant President Pro Tempore of the Los Angeles City Council | | | In office January 28, 2025 – April 14, 2026 | | | Preceded by | Bob Blumenfield | | Succeeded by | John Lee "John Lee (California politician)") | | Member of the Los Angeles City Council from the 4th district | | | Incumbent | | | Assumed office December 14, 2020 | | | Preceded by | David Ryu | | | | | Personal details | | | Born | (1981-07-28) July 28, 1981 (age 44) Kerala, India | | Party | Democratic "Democratic Party (United States)") | | Other political affiliations | Democratic Socialists of America | | Spouse | Vali Chandrasekaran | | Children | 2 | | Education | Harvard University (BS) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MUP) | [...] On February 1, 2022, Raman was appointed to the board of the South Coast Air Quality Management District by Mayor of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti. She replaced councilmember Joe Buscaino. She pledged to prioritize public health and environmental justice from that position. Shortly after she declared her candidacy for mayor in February 2026, it was revealed that Mayor Bass had removed Raman from the board a month prior. Environmental activists speculated that Bass might have been displeased with Raman's push for a "more aggressive" approach to enforcing environmental regulations.

• [PDF] 2022 CM Bio + Intro — For Events - Nithya Raman

  SPOKEN: Introduction: Nithya Raman (RAH-men) is an urban planner, a working mother, an immigrant to America, and a member of the Los Angeles City Council representing District 4. She ran for City Council in 2019 and won a historic victory, becoming the first Asian-American woman and the first South Asian ever to serve on the City Council, and the first challenger in 17 years to defeat a sitting City Councilmember. Since taking office, Councilmember Raman has prioritized delivering compassionate and effective services for people experiencing homelessness, building more affordable housing, and moving with greater urgency to meet our city's climate goals, including as the Mayor of LA’s appointee to the South Coast Air Quality Management Board. [...] WRITTEN: Short Bio: Nithya Raman is an urban planner, a working mother, an immigrant to America, and a member of the Los Angeles City Council representing District 4. She ran for City Council in 2019 and won a historic victory, becoming the first Asian-American woman and the first South Asian ever to serve on the City Council, and the first challenger in 17 years to defeat a sitting City Councilmember. Since taking office, Councilmember Raman has prioritized delivering compassionate and effective services for people experiencing homelessness, building more affordable housing, and moving with greater urgency to meet our city's climate goals, including as the Mayor of LA’s appointee to the South Coast Air Quality Management Board. [...] Full Bio: Nithya Raman is an urban planner, a working mother, an immigrant to America, and a member of the Los Angeles City Council representing District 4. After several years serving on the Silverlake Neighborhood Council as well as co-founding the SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition, Nithya felt there was a gap between city services and the expanding homelessness crisis – a gap she was equipped to fill. She ran for City Council in 2019 and won a historic victory, becoming the first Asian-American woman and the first South Asian ever to serve on the City Council. Her race saw a fivefold increase in voter turnout in the district, and she became the first challenger in 17 years to defeat a sitting City Councilmember.

• Meet Nithya | Nithya Raman | Los Angeles City Councilmember 4th District

  Twitter/X icon Instagram Icon Facebook icon TikTok Logo Bluesky Logo Nithya Raman reading with children ## GET TO KNOW US # Meet Nithya ## Meet Nithya Nithya Raman is an urban planner, a graduate of Harvard and MIT, a working mother, an immigrant to America, and a member of the Los Angeles City Council representing District 4. After serving several years as the Co-Chair of the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council Homelessness Committee, as well as co-founding the SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition, Nithya felt there was a gap between city services and the expanding homelessness crisis – a gap she was equipped to fill. [...] She ran for City Council in 2020 and won a historic victory, becoming the first Asian-American woman and the first South Asian ever to serve on the City Council. In March 2024, she was decisively elected to a second term. Since taking office, Councilmember Raman has prioritized delivering compassionate and effective services for people experiencing homelessness, building more affordable housing, and moving with greater urgency to meet our city’s climate goals. She has built a dedicated team that takes a proactive approach to constituent services, ensuring her office both responds to incoming requests and goes out in the field to meet people where they are, informing them about renter protections, neighborhood upgrades, community initiatives, fire safety, and more. [...] Councilmember Raman serves as Chair of the Housing and Homelessness Committee, Vice Chair of the the Rules, Elections, and Intergovernmental Relations Committee, and member of the Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) Committee, Energy and Environment Committee, and the newly formed Ad Hoc Committee on Unarmed Crisis Prevention, Intervention, and Community Services. Councilmember Raman also represents Los Angeles on the Governing Board of the South Coast Air Quality Management District and serves on the Board of the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency (LACAHSA). In 2024, she was nominated by Mayor Karen Bass to serve as Vice Chair on the LA County Executive Committee for Regional Homeless Alignment.

• Nithya for Mayor

  # More policies rolling out soon! # WHAT I’VE DONE ## LED THE PASSAGE OF THE STRONGEST RENTER PROTECTIONS IN THE COUNTRY ## CAPPED RENT INCREASES ## REDUCED ENCAMPMENTS IN MY DISTRICT BY 54% ## SLASHED RED TAPE TO GREENLIGHT MORE HOUSING ## WROTE THE CITY’S 'SANCTUARY CITY' ORDINANCE TO PROTECT IMMIGRANTS FROM ICE ## Established independent redistricting in LA to end gerrymandering ## Built the most bike lanes of any city council district ## ABOUT NITHYA ### Councilmember Nithya Raman is a fearless champion for the people of Los Angeles. Nithya ran for office as a complete outsider – no political machine, no insider backing. When she defeated a sitting councilmember for the first time in 17 years, the Los Angeles Times described it as “a political earthquake.” [...] Nithya for the City English Nithya for the City English # NIthya Raman is running for Mayor TO make LA affordable for everyone. ### Progressive. Democrat. Mom. Urban Planner. Immigrant. ### The political establishment wants us to believe that the status quo is all we deserve. i believe angelenos deserve better. ### As mayor, my commitments are: Make sure Angelenos have a home they can afford. Fix the city: fill the potholes, pave the roads, plant trees, turn on streetlights, and put a park near where you live. Protect Angelenos: from ICE, from harassing landlords, from unsafe streets, from fires and natural disasters. I’ll make sure when you call 911, someone actually shows up. [...] Her focus in office has been on creating an affordable, livable city and holding our City government accountable to deliver change. ## Endorsements ## FEATURED PRESS ## Newsroom ‘A Los Angeles that works for people.' Nithya Raman shares her vision as mayor Mayor Karen Bass and challenger Nithya Raman tussle in first head-to-head debate Battle For L.A.: Mayor Candidate Nithya Raman On Production Crisis, Bass Attacks, Pratt Stunts, LA28 & Paramount-WBD Merger Dangers Nithya Raman stunned the L.A. political world in 2020. Now, she wants to do it again L.A. mayoral candidate nithya raman’s record may surprise you # JOIN AN EVENT! ### SIGN UP FOR UPDATES

• The record of Nithya Raman, L.A. mayoral candidate, may surprise you - Los Angeles Times

  Unlike some other local politicians and mayoral candidates, Raman had not publicly criticized Bass about the Palisades fire. But after filing her candidate paperwork Saturday, she told reporters the city needs a mayor who will “prepare for emergencies before they happen.” Raman, 44, who lives in Silver Lake and is married with two young children, was born in India and came to the U.S. at age 6. She graduated from Harvard University and earned a master’s degree in urban planning from MIT. In 2020, she was a leader of Time’s Up, an anti-harassment group born after the #MeToo movement, when she launched a bid to represent a City Council district that stretched from Silver Lake to Sherman Oaks. [...] # L.A. mayoral candidate Nithya Raman’s record may surprise you Council members Nithya Raman, Monica Rodriguez and Hugo Soto-Martinez listen to fellow City Council members. Dakota Smith staff headshot at LA Times Photo Studio in El Segundo, CA on Wednesday, July 23, 2025. This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here. More than five years ago, Nithya Raman made history as the first candidate backed by the Democratic Socialists of America to win a City Council seat in Los Angeles, ushering in a wave of other progressive candidates who pushed the council to the left. [...] Raman, who chairs the council’s Housing and Homelessness committee, has championed some traditionally progressive measures, such as just-cause eviction protections and strengthening the city’s rent stabilization ordinance. Under legislation backed by Raman, landlords no longer can evict tenants from any rental property, including single-family homes, unless there is unpaid rent, documented lease violations, owner move-ins or other specific reasons. Such protections already existed in rent-stabilized units, and making them universal included an additional 400,000 units, according to the city. In 2023, she and other DSA-backed council members voted against a package of police raises, arguing that they would trigger cuts to other core services.

• Image

  

• Gender

  female

• Educated At

  Harvard University

• Instance Of

  Q5

• Occupation

  urban activist

• Citizenship

  India

• Date Of Birth

  7/28/1981

• Place Of Birth

  Kerala