Los Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman is offering conflicting signals about her plans for the LAPD, despite previously pledging to remove the department’s top official if she wins the election.
In an interview with ABC 7, Raman, a socialist Los Angeles City Council member, said replacing Police Chief Jim McDonnell would not be an immediate priority if she defeats incumbent Mayor Karen Bass.
“You know, replacing the chief of police is not on my 100-day agenda. Restoring trust with our law enforcement and the public is on my 100-day agenda,” Raman said. She also argued that McDonnell had not “met the moment.”
Asked about Bass’ warning that dismissing McDonnell just 18 months before the 2028 Olympics could prove disastrous, Raman appeared to take a more cautious position.
“That’s all stuff that I think about now and things that certainly I will be weighing and considering as we move forward,” she told the outlet.
“I believe his term goes through 2030, if I’m not mistaken, and at that point I think I would be looking to appoint a new chief.”
When the California Post asked for clarification Saturday, following repeated statements from the candidate that she would remove McDonnell, Raman presented a different timeline.
“Chief McDonnell is Mayor Bass’s police chief. I have made it clear that I would seek a chief who can keep Angelenos safe and restore trust with our immigrant communities,” she told The Post. Raman said she would work with the Police Commission and LAPD command staff on a “careful, orderly transition.”
“Chief McDonnell’s term ends in 2030 and I would expect to replace him prior to that,” she said.
The conflicting timelines follow a turbulent week for Raman. Her since-deleted video featuring the phrase “fascist liars” showed McDonnell’s face marked with a large red X, drawing criticism from Bass, McDonnell and the police union just weeks before the Nov. 3 election.
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Raman appeared in the controversial clip alongside left-wing influencer Ed Choi, who interviewed her in a 90-second Instagram video filmed Sunday at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College.
Choi accused Los Angeles of becoming “extremely fascist” and asked Raman how she would “de-fascist-ize” the city.
The video showed images of Bass and McDonnell, whose face was crossed out in red, as Raman and Choi declared: “Only you can stop fascist liars.”
Bass called Raman “incredibly irresponsible” and “not ready for prime time.” The Los Angeles Police Protective League also warned that the imagery could put the police chief at risk.
Raman’s campaign blamed Choi’s editing and said her comments were aimed at Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Trump administration—not McDonnell or LAPD officers.
Choi has since alleged on Instagram that Raman told him defunding the police remained an option and that McDonnell would be removed.
The allegation further complicates Raman’s evolving positions on policing and the future of the LAPD.
In 2020, she embraced the “defund the police” movement and proposed transforming the LAPD into a significantly smaller department.
By February, however, Raman said the department should retain its roughly 8,700 officers, even though she had voted against hiring 170 additional police officers weeks earlier.
In September, Raman acknowledged that her views on defunding the police had changed.
Raman voted to confirm McDonnell as police chief in November 2024, when the City Council approved his appointment 11-2.
