Neither Mayor Karen Bass nor Council member Nithya Raman really won the first mayoral debate of the general election, which was hosted by the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association (SOHA) on Wednesday night.
The audience of homeowners, mostly whiter and older than the majority of the city, were the real winners, as both candidates tried to assuage the crowd’s fears of the horrors of encroaching apartment complexes, unhoused people, taqueros, and the possibility that their political power might be waning as the city changes.
“The food of Los Angeles is incredibly important. Street vendors are a vibrant part of our community as well, if regulated appropriately,” Raman said in response to a question posed by one of the moderators of the debate about what she would do about a taquero who sets up in the parking lot of a restaurant in Sherman Oaks.
The audience of homeowners, mostly whiter and older than the majority of the city, were the real winners, as both candidates tried to assuage the crowd’s fears of the horrors of encroaching apartment complexes, unhoused people, taqueros, and the possibility that their political power might be waning as the city changes.
If licensed correctly, and if they’re not blocking the street, she didn’t see any problem with restaurants co-existing with street vendors that could make for a more vibrant city life, Raman said, sounding like a well-meaning teacher trying to connect with a rowdy senior high school class.
“I do not think that you should have a food vendor in front of a restaurant,” Bass retorted, plainly and forcefully, to a big round of applause from the audience.
“I would like to see street vendors move into brick-and-mortar facilities so they can work in restaurants. I would like to see them regulated in a way that they’re in certain locations,” Bass added.
A vendor near a restaurant “discourages patrons from going in, just like you shouldn’t have encampments in front of restaurants or schools. They should not be there,” Bass said, to another round of applause and jeers, and despite the existence of studies that contradict everything she’d just said on the subject.
With the help of some paranoid questions from SOHA members read by moderator Phil Shuman of Fox 11—a choice one voicing concerns about whether the growing influence of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) will lead to “anarchy and attacks on Jewish people”—Bass, with her years of experience in community organizing and center-left political coalition building in Sacramento and L.A., was obviously more comfortable than Raman at riding the wave of boomer energy radiating throughout the room, and throwing out some red meat in return.
Responding to a question about what both candidates would do to protect single-family homes, Bass said that both she and Raman were homeowners.
“I bet neither would be willing to give up our homes,” Bass said, before assuring the audience that she would work with politicians in Sacramento to make sure SB79, a new California law that mandates apartment complexes be built near public transit, doesn’t disrupt their neighborhoods. Instead, housing should be built near commercial strips, like along Crenshaw Boulevard, Bass said.
Bass also assailed Raman for not voting to give LAPD officers raises. Raman retorted that she wants to keep the size of the LAPD stable.
As Bass spoke, an older man sitting next to me in Gucci sneakers seemed to be idly watching a live feed of his home security camera setup over his phone.
Bass touted her support from major labor unions in the city, as well as the Democratic Party, the business community, and (she said with a hint of impish delight) support from other members of the city council, including members of the DSA (which Raman is a member of).
Her message of being the experienced, moderate, and well-connected-in-both L.A.-and-Sacramento coalition builder-in-chief running against an inexperienced Raman who “studies” problems, but doesn’t act to fix them, seems to be her strategy for the race.
That strategy won part of Sherman Oaks during the primaries, but just barely in some precincts. Raman, in fact, squeezed by a win in the precinct just south of the debate stage.
“Bass helped save the city from the hellish place we were in, with the fires, the earthquakes, and AIDS,” said Sarah Bradshaw, referring to both Bass’ time in politics and the Community Coalition in the 90s. “She helped give people something positive. She earned my enduring loyalty and support. I think she’s been wonderful as mayor.”
Bradshaw held a “Bass for mayor” sign close to a group of members of SEIU 721, the labor union that represents L.A. City and County staff, who were holding the same signs and chanting, “Four more years!”
Close by, a group of Western States Regional Carpenters Union members, Raman’s one big union endorsement, chanted, “Union jobs for L.A., Nithya Raman for L.A.”
Raman’s own pitch to voters is that she’s a levelheaded, outsider progressive who is especially interested in reforming and improving city government services. This especially includes a focus on reforming homeless services programs through intense auditing and oversight. Raman is still looking to build her political coalition, most likely through young people, renters, and disaffected former Bass voters.
That coalition was not to be found in members of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association, but glimpses of a possible coalition could be seen towards the back of the room on Wednesday night where a group of mostly younger voters sat.
Raman also disagreed with the state overriding the city’s zoning policy, and she agreed with the need to build more housing along commercial streets in the city, adding that she’s not against single-family homes, but that anger will continue to grow in L.A. if more affordable housing isn’t built.
That quip elicited a small round of applause from the Raman supporters in the back of the room.
After the debate, Romero Sebastian, sporting a white-and-red “I Love the Valley” shirt, helped stack folding chairs into a huge pile.
“I wanted to come out to present my face and my skin color in these kinds of places,” he said. “I don’t see many young people, or many people of color. I just want to be a voice for that. I think I saw another reality of this city.”
Sebastian said he volunteered and hopes to start canvassing for Raman’s campaign soon. He likes that Raman is pro-immigrant, pro-rent control, and has progressive ideas.
He came to the debate, he added to the argument, and he heard what the other side of the city had to say. He stayed afterward, he said, because he noticed many older people in the audience and wanted to help them out.
The constituents who showed up sporting Gucci kicks didn’t seem all that bothered with how the debate played out, but other attendees like Sebastian showed their neighborhood pride on their chest. These are the types of Angelenos who will show up to support the candidate who wins them over. Their juxtaposing fashion styles are a microcosm of L.A.’s diverse populations who still have the power to decide who is the next mayor. Their gaze and skepticism at some of their answers remind us why paying attention to these debates still matters.
L.A. can feel like a conglomeration of a thousand different cities rolled into one, but yesterday, the people who tuned in at least all have one thing in common: They cared enough to show up.
