Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass warned Sunday that rival Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidate Nithya Raman could plunge the city into chaos, trigger an exodus of LAPD officers and potentially open the door to federal intervention as Los Angeles prepares to host the 2028 Olympics.
With Election Day just two days away, Bass issued the warning after casting her ballot with her adult children and grandson at the Anderson Munger Family YMCA in Koreatown.
Asked by the California Post what Los Angeles might look like after four years under Raman, Bass offered a stark assessment.
“I think four years under Nithya Raman would present a tremendous amount of chaos,” Bass told The Post. “It would be chaos from day one.”
Bass focused particularly on Raman’s promise to replace LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, arguing that removing the department’s top leader could prompt officers to leave an agency that is already understaffed.
“I don’t think she has a clue what it takes to get a police chief for the nation’s second-largest city,” Bass said.
“The minute she would initiate that, you will have officers leaving the department, and confusion sets in anytime they’re gonna sit around and wait to see who is going to lead them.”
Raman has vowed to replace McDonnell, citing his handling of protests and federal immigration enforcement, though her timetable for doing so has changed.
Bass also suggested that turmoil within the LAPD could prompt unwanted intervention from Washington as Los Angeles moves closer to the Olympics.
“I can only imagine Washington looking at that and saying, ‘These people can’t manage it. We need to come in,’” Bass said. “Los Angeles can manage Los Angeles.”
The Los Angeles Police Protective League, which represents rank-and-file officers, issued an equally forceful warning about Raman’s candidacy Sunday.
FIND OUT MORE: Justice Department Seeks Sanctions Over Analysis Challenging Its Noncitizen Voting Claims
“Los Angeles will become a Petri dish for every crackpot socialist idea that has failed time and again throughout history,” LAPPL Vice President Sgt. Chris Wecker told The Post.
“It’s anyone’s guess what Ms. Raman actually believes in other than fewer police officers, homeless camps next to schools, daycares and parks and co-governing with the DSA in pursuit of their radical agenda to seize private homes and businesses.”
“Los Angeles has a clear choice to make on Tuesday, let’s pray they don’t choose Loony Tunes,” Wecker added.
The criticism echoed remarks Bass made during an exclusive interview with The Post on Friday, when she outlined plans to rebuild the LAPD to 9,500 officers by the 2028 Olympics and overhaul the city’s troubled homelessness system.
“I knew the system was broken, but how profoundly broken it was, I did not know,” Bass told The Post.
Bass also criticized Raman’s record on affordable housing, claiming that Raman’s district ranked 14th among Los Angeles’ 15 council districts for affordable housing production.
Bass contrasted that record with her plan to complete 47,000 housing units currently in the development pipeline over the next four years.
Despite the bruising campaign, Bass said she believed the momentum was beginning to move in her direction.
“I don’t take anything for granted, but I can tell you that I think the undecideds have begun to shift,” she said.
“We’re at a crossroads, and the question is: Do we move forward or do we begin experimenting with our city?”
The Post contacted Raman’s campaign for comment and is yet to hear back.
KEEP READING: Former FBI Chief Urges Americans to Heed Stock-Up Warnings