Mayor
November 3, 2026 · Los Angeles city, California · City · runoff
How do we calculate vote impact?
Vote impact = representation (how much weight one vote carries here, the smaller the district's population, the higher the representation) + decisiveness (how likely this race is to be close, based on past results and number of candidates).
Representation: Low · 0 out of 100
This district is large for its type, so each vote is a smaller slice of the outcome. About 3,857,263 people live here.
score = 100 × ln(largest population ÷ this district's) ÷ ln(largest ÷ smallest), rounded to 2 decimals = 100 × ln(3,857,263 ÷ 3,857,263) ÷ ln(3,857,263 ÷ 3) = 0, comparing cities and towns in CA (grades: 66+ high, 33+ average, otherwise low)
Decisiveness: Unknown
No past results for this contest yet.
Low representation + unknown decisiveness → Below average vote impact.
Some data is missing, so this rating is based on partial information and capped at "High".
Mayor is responsible for:
- Serving as the city's top elected leader and its public face
- Setting policy priorities and helping shape the city budget
- Running city government day to day in some cities; in others, a hired city manager runs daily operations
- Signing or vetoing council laws and appointing department heads, such as the police chief, in many cities
Affected Areas: Environment and Public Health, Government Efficiency, Government Spending Reduction, Public Safety and Crime Control, Housing Affordability, Social Programs and Welfare, Civil Rights, Public Infrastructure
Candidates
Karen Ruth Bass
Nonpartisan · Incumbent · declared
Karen Bass has been Mayor of Los Angeles since December 2022, when she became the first woman elected to the office by defeating Rick Caruso. A former physician assistant and community organizer who founded the South LA nonprofit Community Coalition, she served in the California State Assembly from 2005 to 2010 — including two years as the first Black woman to be Speaker of any US state legislature — and represented Los Angeles in the U.S. House from 2011 to 2022, chairing the Congressional Black Caucus. Seeking a second term, she finished first in the June 2026 primary with about 34% and faces Councilmember Nithya Raman in the November runoff.
Records: Civil Rights 1 for, Government Efficiency 1 for, Housing Affordability 2 for, Public Safety and Crime Control 1 for, Social Programs and Welfare 2 for
Nithya Raman
Nonpartisan · declared
Nithya Raman is an urban planner and Los Angeles City Councilmember for the 4th District, first elected in 2020 by unseating incumbent David Ryu and re-elected in 2024. A Harvard graduate with a master's in urban planning from MIT, she founded a homelessness services nonprofit in Los Angeles, worked on sanitation and slum-dweller resources in India, and served as executive director of Time's Up Entertainment. She entered the 2026 mayoral race in February 2026 and advanced to the November runoff against incumbent Karen Bass with about 29% in the June primary.
Records: Housing Affordability 1 for, Social Programs and Welfare 2 for
Election sources
Source: results.lavote.gov
Source: pbs.org