Los Angeles' mayoral race turned combative Saturday morning as incumbent Mayor Karen Bass and challenger Nithya Raman faced off at a town hall hosted by KBLA Talk 1580 in South Los Angeles. Raman hammered Bass over a roughly $1 billion budget deficit and declining city services; Bass accused her rival of dishonesty in return.
The forum came one day after a Manhattan Institute poll put Raman ahead of Bass 38 percent to 32 percent — a striking result one month before the general election. For an incumbent mayor to trail a challenger this late is a sign of how deeply dissatisfaction with City Hall has set in.
With the general election four weeks away, both campaigns now face a sprint: Bass must defend her record on homelessness and the city budget, while Raman must prove she can convert polling momentum into votes. Saturday's town hall suggested neither side plans to pull punches.
