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 [ LA WATCHDOG ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=12)

#  Battle to Restore the Soul of Los Angeles

June 08 2026

Written by Jack Humphreville.

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LA WATCHDOG - The primaries are over for the most part. Now we will have to endure four months of political posturing by Mayor Karen Bass and Councilwoman Nithya Raman as they duke it out to be our next mayor. This will be in addition to the race for City Attorney and City ballot measures targeting our wallets.

We will also be bombarded by candidates for statewide offices, including those by governor hopefuls Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton, and by supporters of numerous ballot measures, some of which are controversial.

Mayor Bass is running on her record and her desire to continue to address the issues facing the City. She inherited issues that had been ignored by the previous mayors, including homelessness and the failure to increase a variety of fees. She touts her record of reducing homelessness by 17%, authorizing 40,000 more housing units, increased renter projections, and lower crime rates.

On the other hand, her absence from the City during the Palisades fire and the handling of its aftermath was a disaster. She has also failed to address the downsizing of the LAPD, our failing infrastructure, the corrupt management of the homeless budget, and the Structural Deficit, caving to the demands of the public sector unions.

Nithya, on the other hand, claims that she will provide the leadership necessary to “deliver compassionate and effective homelessness services, lower rents, protect tenants, clean our streets, house the homeless, support small businesses, keep people safe, and prepare for emergencies before they happen.”

But talk is cheap. Nithya has no management experience and a record of not delivering on her previous promises. On the contrary, she and her allies have supported defunding the LAPD and allowing for encampments near public schools. She also was criticized for providing inadequate constituent services and for her poorly managed council office.

She also supported a radical socialist agenda which would increase the size (and budget) of the City government. This agenda would also focus on issues beyond the core services of the City, not prioritizing public safety and the repair and maintenance of the City’s infrastructure.

Who will win our votes? In many ways, it is the lesser of two evils. And maybe the devil we know is better than the devil we don’t know. This would favor Bass, especially if she would address the dissatisfaction of Angelenos who voted for Spencer Pratt. Maybe it is time for Bass to clean up her act and endorse necessary reforms and begin the process of restoring the soul of this formerly great City.

***(Jack Humphreville** writes the LA Watchdog column for CityWatch, where he covers city finances, utilities, and accountability at City Hall. He is President of the DWP Advocacy Committee, serves as the Budget and DWP representative for the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council, and is a longtime Neighborhood Council Budget Advocate. With a sharp focus on fiscal responsibility and transparency, Jack brings an informed and independent voice to Los Angeles civic affairs. He can be reached at **<lajack@gmail.com>**.)*

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