Nithya Raman will no longer chair the Los Angeles Housing and Homelessness Committee, a powerful post she has held for approximately three and a half years. City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson is restructuring the committee, a move that will be formally announced later this week. The decision comes as Raman, a city council member, challenges Mayor Karen Bass in the upcoming mayoral election, with her record on homelessness becoming a central theme of her campaign.
Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado, representing District 14 which includes Skid Row and downtown Los Angeles, is anticipated to lead the newly separated homelessness committee. Jurado's district historically has the largest concentration of homelessness in the city.
Raman's tenure on the committee has been marked by stalled reforms and a significant housing initiative that housed fewer than initially projected. The $62.6 million initiative, championed by Raman, aimed to move approximately 2,000 individuals into permanent housing but had only placed three households as of June 25, according to city records. Additionally, a March 2024 proposal seeking greater city control over homelessness programs remained unaddressed by Raman's committee for 316 days.
The committee's work has also been impacted by broader issues within the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA). The federal government has suspended LAHSA from federal grant activity due to an investigation into its financial management, conflicts of interest, and contract oversight. Federal investigators found LAHSA failed to verify nearly 2,300 housing sites and reported no spending for roughly 70% of associated contracts in the previous year. Despite this turmoil, Raman's committee approved an additional $358 million for LAHSA in the current budget, citing the city's lack of infrastructure to replace the authority, while Raman has argued these issues underscore the need for stronger city oversight.
Throughout Raman's leadership, the city's homeless population has continued to grow. The 2026 homeless count estimated 45,194 individuals experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles, a 3.4% increase from the previous year. Un anggota homelessness saw a surge of 7.9%, reaching 29,115 people. Raman has frequently criticized Mayor Bass for the worsening numbers, stating, "The mayor's job is not to explain why someone else is responsible. The mayor's job is to take charge of the system and deliver results." Raman's campaign platform includes a promise to reduce unsheltered homelessness by at least 50% before the 2028 Olympics, a goal she will now pursue without leading the homelessness committee.