Bass conceded on Thursday. Nithya Raman, the Democratic socialist-backed candidate, defeated incumbent Karen Bass to win the Los Angeles mayor election .
She’s been an advocate for the homeless and was an ally of Bass at one point. The win sees Raman become mayor of the second-largest city in the US, which is known the world over for Hollywood. In this aspect, Raman’s husband, Vali Chandrasekaran, has reportedly been of help, bringing her closer to the movie industry. Chandrasekaran is a veteran television writer and producer. He’s an alumnus of The Harvard Lampoon, the undergraduate humor publication from the Ivy League university. The LA mayor-elect was a freshman at Harvard, and he was about to start there as well. The two crossed paths at an Indian classical dance performance near Harvard. Though the two began dating in college, they broke up for a brief time, and Chandrasekaran eventually moved to Los Angeles, working for Boston Consulting Group by day and writing scripts at night. Raman, meanwhile, spent time in India working to improve life in urban slums, as per the report. His latest post on X is a message thanking outgoing mayor Bass, with a video statement from his wife attached below. This went on to shape her campaign as Raman has spoken a lot about plans to keep Hollywood jobs in Los Angeles. She also made it a point to hire local micro-drama producers to make ads.
Raman, the Indian-born urban planner , first won a seat to the Los Angeles City Council in 2020. With this win, Raman has become the first Los Angeles mayoral candidate to defeat an incumbent since 2005 . Raman’s husband is known for his work on shows like Modern Family and 30 Rock. He met Raman when he was 17. The two now raise twins, aged 10, in Los Angeles’s Silver Lake neighborhood.
He is known for being “unfailingly good-natured” and “deeply committed to a comedy bit,” a New York Times article noted. Chandrasekaran said that he’d never thought he’d end up married to an elected official but has been supportive of Raman’s campaign. The article went on to describe Chandrasekaran as a “secret weapon” for Raman, noting that through his work, she has an “intimate view” of how the implosion of Hollywood is straining businesses and families. Speaking about Chandrasekaran’s influence, Raman said, “His perspective has made the stakes impossible to ignore.”
Many of Chandrasekaran’s celebrity friends and bosses also ended up supporting Raman, becoming her campaign backers. This includes household names like Tina Fey and Mindy Kaling. The latter even posted a video on social media encouraging voters to vote for Raman.
