Nithya Raman to take charge in LA amid homeless crisis and political division

LOS ANGELES (AP) — In her bid for Los Angeles mayor, Nithya Raman ran as an outsider. The democratic socialist didn’t win a single endorsement from her 14 colleagues on the city council. The police union opposed her, she had friction with the Jewish community and the Democratic establishment lined up squarely behind the incumbent, Karen Bass.She now has to show she can lead.As mayor-elect following a stunning upset, Raman will need to navigate political rifts in balkanized City Hall while taking on an array of problems that have defied her predecessors, including a long-running homeless crisis, an exodus of Hollywood jobs and boundless miles of crumbling streets and sidewalks — all with a strained budget.Appearing before reporters Thursday for the first time as mayor-elect, Raman was succinct about her agenda.“Homelessness, housing costs and public safety,” she said. “These will have to be the priorities that I take on in the city.”Even after the campaign, the millennial, India-born Ra