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THE VIEW FROM HERE - Currently, LA Mayor Karen Bass has a 61% unfavorable job rating and polls show that Mayor Bass has only 47% support in her re-election bid. Unless Mayor Bass gets 50% plus one vote in the June 2, 2026 primary, the Democrat Socialists of America (DSA) may lose control of LA mayorship. The last incumbent LA Mayor who did not win more than 50% of the primary vote was James Hahn who then lost in the general election to Antonio Villaraigosa. DSA realized that it might lose the mayorship unless something was done ASAP!
You may believe that Nithya Raman is running because she gives a hoot about the city of Los Angeles. HA! If Raman gave two cents about the welfare of Angelenos, she would not have strongly endorsed Mayor Karen Bass’ re-election. The inside skinny is that the Democratic Socialists of America (Mamdani’s party) discovered that Mayor Bass would be forced into a run-off election with a non-DSA candidate: either Spencer Pratt or Adam Miller. All political parties conduct their private polling. Most likely the most recent DSA polls projected Bass as losing both the June 2, 2026 primary and the November 3, 2026 general election.
Angelenos Should Understand DSA’s Nature
Analytically, the DSA is a political party separate from the Democratic Party similar to how MAGA is not the GOP party; MAGA runs rough shod over the GOP and cowers them into submission. The DSA has no charismatic leader like Trump. One may describe the DSA as a cult in search of a leader. It’s most famous vote-getter is Zorhan Mamdani in NYC.
The field running for LA Mayor back on February 1, 2026 was significantly different than a week later. On February 1, Bass had 54% to 55% of the likely vote. After Beutner withdrew and Adam Miller entered the race, Bass dropped to 47% and Miller started with 15%. Spencer Pratt has 14%. Neither Miller or Pratt are part of the DSA. The Nov 3, 2026 Mayoral race could turn out like 2005 when Villaraigosa won over the incumbent Hahn.
When both Bass and Raman run to be Mayor, one of them will be #1 and the other #2 in June 2nd primary so that in the Nov 3rd election, the DSA will be running against itself. Presently, the polls show Bass with 47% and Raman at 35%, with Adam Miller and Spencer Pratt about 15% each.
The mayor’s race has nothing to do with the quality of lives of Angelenos; it is solely about the DSA taking over the city of Los Angeles. Presently the DSA party has Eunisses Hernandez CD-1, Raman CD-4, Imelda Padilla CD-6, Hugo Soto-Martinez CD-13, and Ysabel Jurado CD-14 as well as Karen Bass as mayor.
Estuardo Mazariegos (Council District 9)
DSA backed Mazariegos is running for an open seat in CD 9 (Councilmember Price is termed out). Mazariegos is expected to be one of th two top voters getters in June and winner in the Nov 3rd general election.
DSA endorsed Faizah Malik (Council District 11):
Malik in CD 11, wants the seat held by non -DSA Traci Park. If Park does not get 50% in the June primary, Malik is expected to be her opponent in November 2026
DSA vs the Democratic Party
From an analytical standpoint, one should not confuse the Democratic Socialist Party of America (DSA) with the Democratic Party. Generally, the DSA aligns with the 1619 Project which claims that the Declaration of Independence’s purpose was to perpetuate slavery. Individual inalienable rights are seen as part of White racism’s endeavor to keep Blacks poor and hence Blacks are owned billions of dollars in Reparations.
The DSA-LA strongly supports the California Reparations Task Force, which recommended $1.2 million per eligible Black Californians, with total state cost reaching $800 billion. In 2024-2025, California spent a total of $297.9 billion, which is only 37% of the $800 billion to be paid to Blacks. California never had slavery under either Mexico or the USA. The reparations ignore that over $2 Trillion dollars were stolen from Mexicans (Californios) after the 1848 Mexican-America War. (Mexicans do NOT seek any reparations!) The DSA does not publicize that billions of dollars which DSA expects White, Mexican and Asian Californians to pay to Blacks.
While DSA pretends to care about oppressed minorities in their struggle against white and Jewish oppressors, in 2021 national DSA membership was 85% white. DSA is definitely not a grassroots movement but rather a white run and white controlled organization which uses minorities to gain power. At the same time, it claims to be spokespersons for the poor minorities, DSA opposes homeownership which is the #1 way American families of all backgrounds create generational wealth. That is a main motive behind sticking the poor into Affordable Housing, making the poor forever-renters with zero equity. The DSA also wants to supplant private cars with rapid mass transit. They ignore the data that rapid mass transit does not reduce poverty among its ridership, but the policy of providing family cars to the poor, white, Black. Mexican, has a direct correlation with their obtaining better jobs and earning their way out of poverty.
Naturally, DSA never mentions that densification, such as with their Affordable Housing projects, always increases housing costs. They claim that when they destroy a rent controlled apartment, the evicted may have a right to a newly built affordable unit – maybe 5 years later, and then the rent will be two to three times the rent of the destroyed unit. They do not tell anyone that if successive City Councils had not allowed Wall Street to destroy 30,000 rent controlled units, today we would have no Homeless Crisis. Homelessness was caused by destroying poor people homes. LA has five times more vacancies than it has homeless people. Homeless for the poor is a choice which the LA City Council makes each day.
A Lot is Happening Sub Rosa in California Politics
Trump’s and Stephen Millers’s atrocious anti-Mexicanism clouds the nature of DSA’s racism, which is rather schizophrenic. While it supports Mexicans bearing the cost for Black reparations, it spends a much greater effort to capture the Mexican (Hispanic) community than it does the Los Angeles Black community.
The last thing the DSA wants is a new LA Mayor who tells Angelenos the truth about the hidden agendas of Wall Street, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and the Woker-Developer Alliance.
(Richard Lee Abrams is a former Los Angeles-based attorney, an author, and political commentator. A long-time contributor to CityWatchLA, he is known for his incisive critiques of City Hall and judicial corruption, as well as his analysis of political and constitutional issues. Abrams blends legal insight with historical and philosophical depth to challenge conventional narratives. A passionate defender of civic integrity and transparency, he aims to expose misuse of power and advocate for systemic reform in local government. You may email him at [email protected])
