City Councilmember Nithya Raman delivered a telling moment of ideological rigidity that exposes how the left views common-sense policies during the Los Angeles mayoral debate Wednesday.
When challenger Spencer Pratt outlined a straightforward vision for clearing violent, drug-fueled encampments from city streets, Raman characterized his ideas as “a MAGA Republican’s idea of what Los Angeles looks like” — as if using basic measures to remove angry, violent drug addicts were somehow right-wing and not something all LA residents want.
When Raman mentioned “MAGA,” the camera panned in perfect timing over to Pratt, whose facial response was a mix of amusement and disbelief. But the moment captured a broader frustration in the U.S.
How has cleaning streets of chaos become partisan?
Treating the removal of dangerous, open-air drug markets and encampments as just a “right-wing” position ignores the terrifying reality of LA’s homeless crisis. The county-wide total for the homeless population was 72,195 people in 2025, according to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA). There are 43,695 in the city alone. (Sign up for Mary Rooke’s weekly newsletter here!)
Even in blue California, voters approved Proposition 36 in 2024 to restore felony penalties for repeat drug and theft offenders. Democratic voters are demanding accountability for this crisis. There is no moral case for allowing our government to abandon people to die in tents while endangering families. The city’s data confirms that drug and alcohol overdoses remain the leading cause of death among the homeless, and the terror and destruction these encampments cause radiate outward to everyone else.
Yet when Pratt stands up and says streets need to be cleared of violent drug addicts so that public spaces can be returned to the public, Raman’s response is to brand it “MAGA.” The truth is, she doesn’t want to debate the merits of his policies. She wants to label him as an untouchable to avoid accountability on her record.
During a debate between Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Raman on Tuesday, Bass attacked Raman’s record on voting against clearing homeless encampments. Raman has voted over a dozen times against creating no-camping zones, which would work to clear encampments near schools, daycares, parks, and other sensitive sites, according to the LA Times.
“I just don’t understand your position around encampments,” Bass told Raman. “You vote over and over again to take tools away from people trying to remove encampments, especially near schools. It is completely unacceptable.”
Cleaning streets of angry, violent drug addicts is not a right-wing fantasy as Raman suggests. I think deep down she knows this, too. No rational person believes it’s better for a drug addict to shoot fentanyl next to a playground. But she’s likely too entrenched in radical-left politics to ever admit it publicly. (ROOKE: American Colleges Have A New Slogan: Foreigners First)
Making LA safer for moms and children is the bare minimum of governance. Los Angeles cannot afford leaders who treat the terrifying daily reality of its residents as a flippant partisan talking point.
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