On Apr. 21, L.A. City Councilmember Nithya Raman released a new campaign video, in the quick-cut, walk-and-talk online style by which Zohran Mamdani updated the Aaron Sorkin ethos. “I’m running for Mayor to make sure Los Angeles stays the film and TV capital of the world,” she announced before ticking off her agenda and criticizing incumbent Mayor Karen Bass for her record in handling L.A.’s downward production spiral, including her delayed appointment of a film liaison who Raman faulted for lacking experience in the entertainment business.
“This really exposes how little experience Councilmember Raman has with actually helping the industry,” Bass’ campaign spokesman Alex Stack responds, observing that those she consulted in Hollywood “wanted a film czar who knows how to navigate government and bureaucracy, so they can film and we can help get government out of the way — and it’s working.” Bass’ leadership during the production crisis has drawn flak beyond Raman for timidness and tardiness. Detractors view recent announcements of municipal pilot programs to address Hollywood’s problems as mere attempts to remedy a political liability during campaign season. To this, Stack pushes back, “these policies have been in the works for months, in coordination with stakeholders.”
Raman, a progressive with an urban planning background whose signature focus has long been housing affordability, would seem to be well-positioned for a political moment now requiring a Hollywood close-up, as the production crisis emerges as a key policy issue in the race. When she first ran in 2020 for her council seat — the district spans Sherman Oaks, Koreatown, Silver Lake, Los Feliz, the Miracle Mile and the Hollywood Hills — she was an entertainment industry darling. The former Time’s Up executive director received endorsements from the likes of Tina Fey, Natalie Portman, Mindy Kaling and Jane Fonda as well as a core of rank-and-file union members, primarily writers.
Raman’s key connection to the business was her husband, the veteran TV writer-producer Vali Chandrasekaran, who’s been nominated for several Primetime Emmy Awards and was a writer-producer on Modern Family, 30 Rock, Deli Boys and Netflix’s Nobody Wants This. Raman has spoken of reconnecting with Chandrasekaran, her college sweetheart, “after spending hours together” on the WGA’s 2007 strike line, and in 2023, ahead of the union’s strike authorization, posted on Instagram a message of solidarity: “Over the years, I’ve watched him and his colleagues ride out tremendous upheaval in their business.”
Since taking office, though, critics say Raman’s record on industry issues has been thin aside from speaking publicly a year ago in support of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ultimately successful effort to bulk up California’s tax incentives. During an April 2025 rally in support of the legislation, she noted that Hollywood is “a middle class industry of costumers, set decorators, drivers, camera operators, hair dressers and caterers,” adding, “we’re not asking for a hand-out. We are asking for the chance to work.”
This March, Raman recused herself from voting for four City Council agenda items meant to address the Hollywood production crisis, all of which went on to be approved. They included initiatives to establish free “micro-shoot” permits, develop a citywide soundstage certification program and improve workflow with other municipal jurisdictions to make shooting easier.
Raman didn’t specify why she recused herself “out of an abundance of caution,” but it likely had to do with Chandrasekaran’s career. After filing to run for mayor, Raman disclosed in February on a government form that her spouse had received more than $100,000 in income the previous year from Universal Television as well as Apple TV, plus another amount categorized between $10,000 and $100,000 from Amazon Studios.
Bass believes Raman’s campaign rhetoric is hollow, given her record in office. “I’ve been working with the industry for years, from when I created the state’s first film and TV tax credit to cutting fees and streamlining permitting as Mayor,” she tells The Hollywood Reporter. “I’ve partnered closely with the City Council on taking action to bring more filming to L.A., but the truth is Nithya Raman has never been a part of that work. She never once came to me with any proposal to help the film industry, and much of what she mentioned in her Instagram video is already happening as a result of the work we’ve done. Don’t take my word for it though, look at the record — not authoring a single piece of legislation in over five years on the City Council is all people need to know. This only became an issue for Raman when she started running for Mayor.”
In a statement, Raman pushed back against her rival: “I have been a champion of the film and television industry throughout my career,” Raman explained. “As mayor, I will be committed to fighting for Angelenos on the issues that matter most to them — including bringing back Hollywood jobs with the full force of the mayor’s office. I will always do whatever it takes to ensure I can do this job fully and without compromise.” She declined to respond to inquiries about her City Council recusals and whether her husband’s Hollywood career would prove a help or a hindrance to governance decisions involving the entertainment industry if she won the mayoralty.
The Raman campaign issued a separate statement highlighting her tenure at Time’s Up before joining the City Council and, once elected, the work she’s done within her district to advocate for updating studio spaces. “That work reflects a broader philosophy: the city should be an active partner in keeping production infrastructure here, not a passive bystander watching it erode,” the campaign said, adding that her office had spent almost two years working on a master plan and development agreement for Studio City’s historic Radford lot, which Netflix is now in final talks to purchase. “This is an example of what she’ll do as mayor citywide — make sure the city is a real partner when studios want to invest and modernize here, so we stop losing ground to other markets.”
Raman’s Apr. 21 video was shot on the Disney lot — in the City of Burbank. The company, which in recent years has sought to distance itself from politics, didn’t respond when asked whether it had sanctioned the campaign ad on its property. For her part, Raman wouldn’t specify whether she received permission from Disney to shoot there.
