Los Angeles Mayor-elect Nithya Raman is turning to longtime City Hall figures and former aides to ex-Mayor Eric Garcetti as she assembles her incoming administration, even as she campaigned on a pledge to fundamentally reshape the mayor’s office.
Several sources told the California Post that Rick Cole, a former Garcetti deputy mayor who later advised City Controller Kenneth Mejia, is expected to take on a prominent role in Raman’s transition effort.
Cole’s extensive City Hall experience could prove valuable to Raman, but his record as a government reformer is also likely to draw scrutiny.
The outspoken reform advocate stepped down as Santa Monica city manager in April 2020, as the city faced a severe budget emergency, proposed sweeping spending reductions and saw tensions intensify with public employee unions.
More than 2,800 residents signed a petition calling for his dismissal while Santa Monica confronted a projected $226 million shortfall through June 2021.
Cole also spent a brief period as a senior adviser to DSA-backed Mejia and previously served as city manager in Ventura and Pasadena. Over the years, he has earned a reputation for aggressively challenging elected leaders and public employees on spending, management practices and local-government reform.
In recent months, Cole worked as an unpaid adviser to Raman’s mayoral campaign and sharply criticized the Bass administration’s oversight of homelessness spending.
He is expected to work with Andrea Conant, Raman’s current chief of staff on the City Council and a former public relations executive who spent nearly 20 years working with developers, government agencies and community groups.
Before joining Raman’s office in 2021, Conant served as a vice president at the public affairs firm Consensus Inc. Her work included major initiatives such as the LAX Master Plan and Metro’s Gold Line extension.
Her appointment generated controversy because she had represented the developer behind the proposed Mirabel luxury project on Wilshire Boulevard, located in Raman’s council district.
Neighborhood opponents raised concerns about a possible conflict of interest. Raman’s office defended the hire, saying Conant had no ongoing financial stake in the development and would not participate in planning decisions related to it.
Jeff Millman, Raman’s campaign manager, is another key figure in the incoming operation. The veteran Democratic strategist also previously worked as a Garcetti adviser.
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During the Garcetti administration, Millman handled communications and political strategy and served as chief communications officer for Los Angeles’ successful bid to host the 2028 Olympics.
His résumé also includes managing former Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s 2018 reelection campaign and working on Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna’s successful bid for office.
It is not yet known whether Millman will take a permanent position in Raman’s administration.
Dae Levine, another Garcetti veteran, is already part of Raman’s team after previously serving as the former mayor’s communications director.
Levine now works as Raman’s deputy chief of staff for policy and communications, helping coordinate the mayor-elect’s policy agenda and public outreach.
Raman’s other senior aides include Mashael Majid, deputy chief of staff for planning, housing and community development; communications director Stella Stahl; and homelessness services director Patrick Siggins.
None of those aides has been publicly confirmed for a permanent role in the mayoral administration.
Raman has 39 days remaining before taking office on Dec. 14 and assuming leadership of America’s second-largest city.
Her transition will begin under immediate pressure from the city’s financial challenges.
Los Angeles’ 2027 budget process is already in motion, with city departments rushing to prepare spending proposals due to the mayor’s office by the end of November.
The mayor will have until January to assess and revise those requests before submitting a proposed budget to the City Council by April 20.
Because the city’s fiscal year starts July 1, Raman will have roughly four months after taking office to build her first budget while confronting staffing shortages, rising homelessness-related expenses and demands for city services that are already stretched thin.
