It's Bass versus Raman in November — and the Westside Current is calling it left-versus-left. So the easy ideology story just got a lot harder to tell. If you're just joining: Karen Bass led the June primary but couldn't clear the 50 percent she needed to dodge a runoff, so Nithya Raman and Spencer Pratt spent days fighting over second as the late ballots came in. The near-complete numbers had Bass at 34.3, Raman at 29, Pratt at 25.5 — and now we've got a November contest built around homelessness, Bass's record, and how much organizing muscle the left can actually bring. This is LA Mayor 2026. Today: how a signed $15 billion budget plays in the runoff, and the one homelessness number Bass still hasn't put on the table. Sarah — that left-left label. From Jim Newton at Westside Current:
ELECTIONS— As the Los Angeles mayoral election returns piled up, the tide steadily turned against Spencer Pratt, driving him out of the runoff and delivering the No. 2 slot to City Councilwoman Nithya Raman. On Monday, the Associated Press called it. The 44-year-old progressive, not Pratt, will face Mayor Karen Bass in November.
Okay, it's called — Raman, not Pratt, takes the second slot against Bass in November. The ballot-count watch is over. And the margin matters here. Raman at 29, Pratt at 25.5 — about 30,000 votes. So was Pratt's 25.5 a protest vote that goes anywhere near a housing-first progressive? It mostly doesn't, right? Pratt's a Trump-backed Republican in a 15% Republican city. Those voters aren't peeling to Raman on density — they're either staying home or holding their nose for Bass. Which is why the Westside Current 'left-left' label is worth picking apart. Bass and Raman agree on more than they'll admit on a debate stage. Then this becomes a fight over governing theory more than ideology. And if both of them start chasing the same centrist Pratt leftovers, my worry is the deed-restricted affordable commitments get sanded down to win them. Bass just signed a nearly $15 billion budget that funds homelessness programs, police hiring, and basic city services — so how do voters actually read that? Governing document, or campaign ad? Honestly, probably both — and the timing is hard to ignore. Bass unveiled the budget in late April, six weeks before the June primary, right in the middle of what reporting described as a 'tightening mayoral race.' The final signed budget came in just under $15 billion, a 5.3% increase over the prior year, per The Center Square. The shape of it matters: a year ago, Bass proposed widespread layoffs to close a near-billion-dollar deficit, which was genuinely painful and politically costly. This year's plan, per LAist, avoids layoffs entirely, keeps most service levels intact, and seeks to hire 510 police officers. At the same time, AOL's reporting flagged critics calling it 'more of the same' on homelessness, and the LA Fire Department got little new funding even with the January wildfires as a major issue in the race. So it's a budget that tries not to hurt anyone — no big cuts, no furloughs — while leaning into the hiring and services voters say they want. That's a real governing choice, and it's a very legible political message. But if critics are calling it 'more of the same' on homelessness, does that give challengers an opening to run against the budget itself? Exactly. Bass finished first in the primary, per CalMatters, but that margin wasn't a ringing endorsement. Raman now has this budget as a concrete record to attack, and Bass has to defend it on specifics like homelessness spending and the fire department's funding. A budget is one of the few things a mayor can't really spin away, because the line items are public. This one comes via CBS LA. This Hope the Mission forum from May 14 just got way more important. Bass, Raman, and Miller were fielding questions from service providers and people who've actually been on the street — not reporters. And two of those three are now the only names on the November ballot. So that room matters. Whatever Bass and Raman said to those advocates, they own it now. Right, so here's the one number I want from that forum: did Bass attach a deed-restricted affordable unit target to Inside Safe anywhere? Or is it still purely shelter-and-placement? Right, and that's where the left-left framing actually has to mean something. Bass and Raman agree on shelter over enforcement — fine. Then differentiate: SB 79, upzoning, density. The forum's the place to check who actually said the word. And notice who asked the questions — service providers, impacted residents. That's a harder crowd to dodge than a debate moderator. Either a number surfaced in that room or it didn't. If LA Mayor 2026 helps you stay grounded in the race, consider subscribing and leaving a review wherever you’re listening. It’s a small thing that helps other Angelenos find the show.
What we’re watching next: Karen Bass and Nithya Raman now head toward the November runoff for mayor.
We’ve put links to every story from today’s briefing in the show notes, so if one caught your ear, you can follow it there and read further. That’s LA Mayor 2026 for today. This is a Lantern Podcast.