Overview
- On Thursday a since-deleted short social video showed Nithya Raman repeating “Only you can stop fascist liars” while a red X briefly covered LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell’s face.
- Mayor Karen Bass called the clip “incredibly irresponsible” and questioned Raman’s readiness to lead, and the Los Angeles Police Protective League and Chief McDonnell warned the imagery could endanger officers and morale.
- Raman’s campaign says her words targeted federal immigration enforcement and the Trump administration, not Bass or McDonnell, and that content creator Ed Choi added the crossed-out image before the campaign removed the post.
- A UC Berkeley/Los Angeles Times poll taken Sept. 15–20 found Raman with a large lead among Latino likely voters but also showed 34% of that group undecided, leaving late persuasion and turnout crucial.
- With mail ballots already going out and a Univision forum scheduled for Latino voters, the dispute arrives when field operations and outside spending have intensified and could affect votes on policing, homelessness and public safety.