Nithya Raman’s campaign is pushing back against a political group’s attacks on her homelessness record, which include fake real estate signs, a battered RV and an AI-powered phone line designed to impersonate the mayoral candidate.
The campaign filed an ethics complaint Sunday against Thrive LA, alleging five violations of political disclosure rules and calling for action before the Nov. 3 election.
Thrive rejected the accusations, arguing that Raman is attempting to intimidate critics and suppress political speech.
The dispute began after Thrive launched a series of ads for the fictional “Nithya Raman Realty.” One ad features an AI-generated version of Raman declaring, “We got A Tent to Give You!” and warns voters about “Needles, Crime, Tents, Zero Accountability.”
Another sign promotes a “Designated Poop Zone” supposedly coming to a neighborhood near you.
The group also dispatched a battered RV through Los Angeles, evoking the deteriorating vehicles that have become a familiar sight on the city’s streets.
Thrive executive director Ana Teresa Dahan defended the effort as political satire. She said the organization had reported its political spending and advertising to the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission, where The California Post independently confirmed that public filings exist.
“They wouldn’t have known it was us if we hadn’t put the disclosure,” Dahan told The Post on Monday.
“We’re a small organization, so we had to be scrappy,” she added.
Raman’s campaign, however, says the alleged violations extend well beyond the physical signs.
According to the complaint, the mock real estate advertisements include a phone number answered by an AI-generated voice modeled on Raman. Callers are invited to participate in an interactive discussion about homelessness.
The Post independently called the number and heard a woman’s voice pose questions, including where the caller would prefer to set up a tent.
DISCOVER MORE: Undocumented Man Pleads Guilty to Fake Kidnapping Plot Targeting Border Patrol
Each response prompted another question, creating a back-and-forth exchange that ridiculed Raman’s approach to homelessness policy.
During The Post’s call, the voice did not identify Thrive as the sponsor or tell callers that they were interacting with an AI-generated political advertisement.
Raman’s campaign argues that people should not have to investigate the recording’s origins to discover that it is political advertising.
“Our argument is it needs to be a disclaimer. There is not,” a campaign representative told The Post, adding that the phone line should be removed.
The complaint also names a collection of Instagram accounts that allegedly circulated anti-Raman videos to potentially millions of viewers without disclosing who funded the content.
The accounts cited include @males_hub_, which has about 1.2 million followers, and @ratchethoodvideos, with roughly 806,000.
The videos showed Thrive’s faux real estate signs and battered RV, accompanied by messages such as, “Want an encampment down the block? Nithya’s your vote.”
Raman’s campaign alleges the posts were coordinated to make paid political messaging look like ordinary viral content while avoiding legally required sponsorship disclosures.
Public filings show Thrive reported $53,800 in digital advertising spending and $81,200 in payments to a print advertising vendor.
The complaint itself acknowledges that all five signs it identifies carry written disclaimers naming Thrive as their sponsor.
But Raman’s campaign says those disclosures do not resolve its allegations involving the AI phone line, Instagram videos and other advertising.
The Ethics Commission has not issued a finding on the complaint.