Los Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman pledged to improve representation for young people and historically underserved communities in City Hall at a Friday event in Royce Hall.

About 70 people attended the event – organized by Bruin Democrats at UCLA and Black Los Angeles Young Democrats – which aimed to encourage young people to vote in the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Raman, a city councilmember representing parts of the San Fernando Valley, is challenging incumbent Karen Bass for LA mayor.

The event was also hosted by the University of California’s chapter of the NAACP and Black Bruins.

Bass and Raman received 34% and 29% of the vote, respectively, during the nonpartisan June primary. A September UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll found Raman leading Bass by 11 percentage points in the midterm elections.

[Related: LA mayor candidates Karen Bass, Nithya Raman advance to general election]

Raman said in an interview that she has run multiple campaigns focused on bringing underrepresented voters into local politics.

“In my first race, we knocked on 80,000 doors, including so many renters who had never voted in municipal elections before,” she said. “We made the case to them that City Hall could do more for them and could work better for them. That’s the same case that I was making tonight, and I don’t believe this city can be successful if we’re not serving young people and if we’re not serving Black people.”

Raman said in a speech that if elected, she would increase tree cover and green spaces in low-income neighborhoods to combat extreme heat in LA. She added that she plans to expand the city’s unarmed crisis response team and support the city’s Reparations Advisory Commission, which makes recommendations to the city for providing reparations for Black people living in LA.

Raman pledged to appoint people who can represent underserved communities and young people to various city commissions and administrative roles.

“We need younger voices who understand the challenges that young people are facing as they are trying to make it in a city that is increasingly unhospitable to them,” she said.

Raman said in her speech that while she respects Bass’ years of public service, she believes that Bass has failed to respond to and take accountability for several issues, including the 2025 LA fires, persistent homelessness and rising unaffordability. Bass faced criticism after she left for a trip to Ghana shortly before the LA fires, despite the National Weather Service issuing an extreme fire warning.

Raman supported Bass during the 2022 mayoral election bid but announced that she would challenge Bass in the 2026 race just hours before the filing deadline.

[Related:Karen Bass faces scrutiny for wildfire response, LAFD budget cuts]

Raman said she plans to advocate for affordable housing, adding that gentrification and other forms of displacement have disproportionately affected communities of color in LA.

“We have to make sure that the benefits of new construction accrue to young people, to Black people who have been locked out of a homeownership market that has been very deeply unjust for a long time,” Raman said in a speech.

Political organizers also presented several state ballot measures that voters will decide on in November.

BLAYD Vice President Bryant Odega said it is important to educate voters on state ballot measures such as Propositions 3 and 4 because they directly impact voters’ lives.

If approved, the ballot measures would make the state’s high-income tax rate permanent to fund public education and repeal a ban on public financing for election campaigns, respectively.

Cole Hoyle, the political director for Bruin Democrats, said he believes Raman is a strong candidate who can take a stand against the federal government and prepare LA for upcoming events such as the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Hoyle added that he was unhappy with Bass’ handling of the LA fires and her approach to housing.

As the November election draws near, Odega said it is important for Raman and other politicians to reach out to young voters.

“It’s important for candidates running for office to not take for granted the youth vote,” Odega said. “Young people often don’t vote as much because people aren’t giving them something to vote for. If you’re not engaging with the youth, if you’re not presenting a vision that aligns with their interests, then it’s going to be hard to get them to turn out.”

Raman said she will ensure LA is more affordable for UCLA students if elected.

“If UCLA students don’t make their voices heard, don’t vote for candidates who are laser-focused on the cost of housing, this city will never take this issue as seriously as it deserves,” Raman said.