Homeless tents in her LA neighbourhood changed Nithya Raman's life: From volunteer to Los Angeles mayor

Nitya Raman, a Kerala-born democratic socialist, scripted history after being elected Mayor of Los Angeles. With this honour, she has become the first South Asian mayor of the nation's second-largest city. Raman, 45, defeated incumbent 73-year-old Karen Bass during the mid-term elections on November 3. Equally inspiring is Raman’s political journey and as surprising as it may sound, she never dreamt of entering politics but was moved by homelessness in her Los Angeles neighbourhood which ultimately formed the foundation of her political journey.

Nithya Raman was touched by homelessness in LA

Nithya Raman, who holds a BA and BS degree from Harvard University as well as a masters degree in city planning (MCP) from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), was concerned about the living conditions of the people of her Los Angeles neighbourhood, as per a report by The Global Indian.

Raman witnessed hundreds of people living in tents and wanted to offer help. So, she started to organise volunteers, bringing residents together to support homeless people and contribute to the neighbourhood. This initiative led to a major realisation.

Nithya Raman’s journey

Raman saw that people were eager to participate in civic life when given more opportunities. Eventually, this led her into electoral politics. In 2020, Raman won a seat on the Los Angeles City Council, defeating an incumbent. She was re-elected in 2024 and has since entered the race to become Los Angeles mayor.

Raman has been consistently focused on how cities are responding to the needs and requirements of the residents, specially those who do not have a home of their own and lack access to essential services. For the unversed, Raman grew up in a Tamil Iyer family. She moved to Louisiana, United States, with her family when she was just 6 years old. Raman finally settled in Burlington, Massachusetts.