Nithya Raman

Underdog with Understanding.

At first, I was unsure about Nithya, perhaps because I didn’t know if she was sure of herself.  Her camera presence was so-so. Her confidence seemed shaky. She declared her run on the last day of the deadline.

Yet if I’ve learned anything about politicians (and people) thus far, ultra smooth confidence and charm does not a trustworthy candidate make. People can talk the talk, and create bots to also talk about them, but can they walk the walk?

Nithya is the underdog here, despite having six solid years of invested political training. Beginning as an LA Councilwoman, she thwarted the seat of someone who thought they were untouchable.  How? She was a public servant before her official election, founding SELAH – a homeless coalition that gathered community members to provide hands-on help to those in her neighborhood. She took initiative, followed through, and gained followers in the process.

Her neighbors believed in her, seeing the proof with their own eyes, and they worked to get her an official seat. It was full speed ahead from there.

Since before 2020, she’s been an agent of change still realizing her potential in the improvement of Los Angeles. She finds her battles, gets her hands dirty while fighting them, and has built a comprehensive knowledge of what it takes to do the job. Nithya Raman saw beyond her council seat, however, looking ahead to what it means to be mayor.

At first, her campaign sounds very unsexy – “Back to basics”. But take one look at our literal streets, and the need for repair is indeed dire. Fixing potholes and street lights doesn’t sound like much, but in a town where we spend half of our lives in cars, in traffic, in the sprawling landscape that is La La, it’s everything when we desire (and demand!) safety and well-being in exchange for our rent and contributions to the economy.

Some of her other platforms include minimizing the scale of the homeless problem for good (not in a circular manner, from street to bed and back to street), affordable housing (a lofty goal in a city that is increasingly expensive and doomed to become San Francisco if actions aren’t taken), and incentivizing the film industry back to its motherland (easing need for permits and costs across the board, the way it used to be).

I noticed that THRIVE LA is hell bent on keeping Nithya out of the race – citing higher taxes and a woe-is-us mentality if she wins the primary. Upon further research, it’s clear why – that site is funded by massive donors who live large in real estate and business (i.e. Rick Caruso, for example). Of course they don’t want affordable housing. They control a lot of housing. They want to make more money and avoid their fair share of taxes. We’ve seen this again and again in our current climate.

Speaking of money, most impressive is Ms Raman’s knowledge of budget. Ho-hum, sounds boring, right? But that IS the job. Getting the fullest use of each and every dollar, pointing them in the direction that works most efficiently, most effectively, most positively. She knows what she is talking about – though it isn’t lost on me that there will be a huge learning curve if she takes the mayoral seat. That is a risk we have to take if we want her.

Notably a smaller risk than others with zero political experience and reputations of nonsensical spending, or overspending with little results.

Nithya Raman is the kind of politician that hasn’t yet been put through the ultimate political machine – so my question is: can she stay true when she gets there? Does anyone? Probably not, but I look at other mayoral examples (Mamdani) and I am given hope by their clear, focused vision and uncompromising values. Truth to their word, along with their intention.

She gives me that vibe. And if people can so readily believe a dude like Pratt can “grow into the seat” without caving under extremely complex political pressure?

Then Nithya feels like a damn shoe-in.

She has excellent experience and references, and I have no doubt that any greenness in her tone will ripen fast if given the opportunity.

FYI, this blorg was written by an actual human creature. Not AI, no AI, never AI.
We like to use good, old-fashioned brains.