LA mayoral race descends into vicious catfight as incumbent Karen Bass calls rival Nithya Raman lazy to her FACE

Los Angeles's mayoral race turned openly hostile during a debate on Wednesday night in Sherman Oaks, with incumbent Karen Bass accusing city councilmember Nithya Raman of being lazy and failing to show up for work. The exchange, which came less than two months before early voting begins, underscores how bitter the contest between the two Democrats has become after they emerged as the top finishers in the primary, edging out reality television star Spencer Pratt.

Bass claimed Raman had missed "several thousand votes" and had "walked on" entertainment industry legislation, while crediting herself with delivering the first tax credit as former Speaker of the House. Raman acknowledged missing council meetings but blamed conflicts with external boards she had been appointed to, and hit back by branding Bass's $400 million homelessness initiative, Inside Safe, a failure, citing a Los Angeles Times finding that about 41% of participants returned to homelessness. The pair also clashed over policing, with Bass accusing Raman of blocking police funding and Raman countering that she opposed a contract that "bankrupted" the city; Bass won the primary with 34% of the vote to Raman's 29%.