Los Angeles voters are staring at an ugly mayoral choice between incumbent Karen Bass and Democratic socialist Councilwoman Nithya Raman.

Bass has faced fierce criticism over the city’s persistent homeless crisis and her response to the January 2025 wildfires that destroyed entire neighborhoods, as reported by Red State.

Federal authorities stepped into downtown Los Angeles’ notorious Skid Row on Thursday after years in which Bass, Gov. Gavin Newsom, and other California officials were accused of hamstringing local efforts.

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The intervention only sharpened criticism of City Hall’s ability to address the city’s problems.

Voters did not send wildfire victim and former reality television star Spencer Pratt to the general election.

That left Raman, who represents LA District 4, as the only alternative to Bass in a contest that offers little comfort to voters concerned about crime, public safety, and illegal immigration.

The latest clash erupted over a now-deleted Instagram video featuring Raman and the phrase “fascist liars.”

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Bass’ campaign seized on the clip, arguing that it appeared to target both the mayor and LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell.

Raman’s team offered a different explanation, saying the comment was aimed at ICE officers and that Raman requested the post’s removal.

The dispute landed with less than a month remaining before the election, turning an already grim mayoral race into an even nastier social media brawl.

Raman also made clear that McDonnell’s tenure would be in danger if she became mayor.

“I don't believe that Chief McDonnell has met this moment, and I will make sure that we are appointing a police chief who can really respond to the needs that immigrant Angelenos have and that every resident of Los Angeles has.”

The clip concluded with Raman and her interviewer pointing toward the camera and chanting, “Only you can stop fascist liars."

The battle for L.A. mayor is heating up on social media.

Mayor Karen Bass’ campaign is targeting Councilmember Nithya Raman over a now-deleted Instagram video in which Raman repeats the phrase “fascist liars.” Bass’ campaign says the video appeared to target the mayor and LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, while Raman’s team says the comment was directed at ICE officers — and that Raman asked for the post to be removed. The latest clash comes with less than a month until the election. Video provided to Los Angeles Magazine by Bass Campaign team. Read more by @TaylorParise at the link below. https://t.co/w60Roiq6Dz — Los Angeles Magazine (@LAmag) October 7, 2026

Whatever explanation her campaign offered afterward, the video handed Bass an obvious opening against her socialist challenger.

McDonnell responded Thursday after the California Post reported that Raman spent hours drinking at a fashionable Silver Lake restaurant while riots unfolded in downtown Los Angeles on June 6, 2025.

The chief contrasted that scene with his own presence during the unrest.

“I was out there,” McDonnell told the Post in a pointed reference to Raman’s happy hour session. “I don’t know that people who are criticizing us were anywhere near there.”

McDonnell said he generally attempts to brush aside personal attacks because he does not want them to become a distraction.

Still, he did not hide his frustration with Raman’s rhetoric or the political spectacle surrounding it.

“It’s very disappointing to me that we have to deal with that,” he said. “In the second-largest city in America, we expect more than that.”

Raman claimed protesters were exercising their constitutional rights, but the violence described during the June unrest went far beyond peaceful protest.

Concrete chunks were directed at law enforcement from overpasses, while commercial grade fireworks were used against officers.

“They were being assaulted by commercial-grade fireworks, which can kill you. Those can be lethal,” McDonnell said.

He added, “We were in a position where we had no choice but to defend ourselves, and we always try and use the least amount of force possible.”

The episode exposes the bleak public safety divide hanging over the Los Angeles election.

Raman is attacking the police chief over his handling of ICE activity and violent demonstrations, while McDonnell is defending officers who faced potentially lethal attacks.

Bass has her own record of criticism involving homelessness, the wildfires, and the city’s broader troubles.

Yet Raman’s promise to replace McDonnell and her embrace of inflammatory rhetoric present voters with an alternative even further to the left.

For Angelenos who value law and order, safety, and enforcement of immigration laws, the contest looks less like a real choice than a political trap.

Los Angeles is left with the familiar and deeply unsatisfying dilemma of bad versus worse.

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