Mayor Karen Bass and Councilwoman Nithya Raman went to war Tuesday night in a blistering mayoral debate that exploded into a public brawl over crime, homelessness, police staffing and who voters should blame for Los Angeles spiraling deeper into chaos.
For 90 combative minutes inside the Sherman Oaks East Valley Adult Center, the two women hammered each other as frustrated residents groaned, booed and shouted through some of the night’s ugliest exchanges.
The debate, hosted by the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association and moderated by FOX 11’s Phil Shuman, packed 189 people into the room with another 421 watching online.
And even though celebrity mayoral hopeful Spencer Pratt never made it onto the stage, he still managed to dominate parts of the night.
Raman was booed at least nine times, especially while defending her opposition to expanding Los Angeles’ anti-camping law, known as 41.18, and during fiery clashes over police funding.
Bass repeatedly tied Raman to the worsening conditions many Angelenos say they now see daily: sprawling encampments, open drug use, rising disorder and slow city response.
“It is completely unacceptable for there to be encampments near schools,” Bass told the crowd after pressing Raman over her votes against expanding anti-camping restrictions.
Raman fired back that Los Angeles has spent years shuffling homeless people from block to block while failing to build a functioning system.
The tension boiled over when Bass accused Raman of attacking failures tied to departments she already helps oversee as chair of the City Council’s Housing and Homelessness Committee.
“I don’t know why you diminish yourself, because you are one of the most powerful members of the council,” Bass said.
Raman immediately redirected blame toward City Hall’s top office.
“The power to move departments, the power to convene the county lies with the office of the mayor,” she shot back.
Public safety quickly became another political minefield.
Bass warned Los Angeles needs 9,500 LAPD officers before the World Cup and Olympics arrive, arguing the city cannot afford continued staffing losses while emergency response times and public safety fears intensify.
“The first responsibility I have as your mayor is to keep the city safe,” Bass said.
The room grew especially hostile whenever policing and homelessness collided. Residents repeatedly interrupted as Bass and Raman battled over whether enforcement or housing should come first.
At one point, Raman accused Bass of continuing to pour money into costly homelessness programs that still are not producing enough results.
“We’re still moving with the most expensive version of Inside Safe,” Raman said.
Bass instantly countered that Raman herself has repeatedly pushed for the mayor’s flagship encampment program to operate inside her district.
“We have been involved in your district over 21 times,” Bass fired back.
Pratt’s absence became its own political spectacle.
Raman openly questioned Bass over campaign messaging she claimed appeared to elevate Pratt while targeting her more aggressively.
“Why are you promoting the campaign of a MAGA Republican who vows to work with ICE?” Raman asked.
Bass brushed it off, joking that Pratt had been calling both women “zombies” online.
Still, several attendees afterward said they were angry Pratt had not been included in the debate.
Sherman Oaks resident Susan Collins said she walked away frustrated with both establishment candidates on stage.
Collins argued Pratt has spent more time seriously studying city problems than many longtime City Hall insiders.
“The change the city needs desperately, to combat every issue that the two of them have had enough time to work on and did nothing to accomplish,” Collins said.
Animal advocate and district resident Shira Scott Astrof also unloaded on both candidates after the debate, accusing City Hall of abandoning renters, neighborhoods and animals while conditions across Los Angeles continue deteriorating.
“They both talk about what they’re going to do,” Astrof said. “They’ve both been here for years and done nothing.”
She especially blasted Raman’s repeated claims about renter protections.
“Her renter protections that she keeps talking about is complete and utter bulls–t,” Astrof said. “Her office ignores every single person, including myself.”
Tuesday’s political cage match now sets the stage for another high-stakes showdown in Los Angeles, where candidates for mayor and California governor are scheduled to face off Wednesday night in two televised one-hour debates hosted by NBC4 Los Angeles and Telemundo 52 at the Skirball Cultural Center.
