Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia has publicly endorsed City Councilmember Nithya Raman in her bid for mayor, positioning himself as her most prominent supporter within local government. Mejia’s endorsement was made clear following the mayoral debate held Tuesday evening at NBC4’s studios in Universal City, where he spoke on Raman’s behalf in a post-debate gathering alongside a small group of media.

Mejia, who is listed as Raman’s top endorser on her campaign website, is currently the only elected official at Los Angeles City Hall to back her candidacy. This stands in contrast to Raman’s fellow members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) on the City Council, none of whom have publicly supported her campaign and continue to back incumbent Mayor Karen Bass.

“When you’re in office, once you learn how status quo works and how to game it, you don’t want to change it,” Mejia said, attributing the lack of endorsements from his colleagues, including the other DSA members, to a reluctance to disrupt existing power structures.

Since announcing her mayoral run in February, Raman has experienced political isolation at City Hall. Mejia acknowledged his own experience of marginalization, stating, “It’s been lonely since I’ve been here [at City Hall].” He also rejected concerns that endorsing Raman might harm his political prospects, saying, “People have told me, ‘Kenneth you ruined your political career by endorsing Nithya.’ I’m honored to be the only one endorsing her.”

Mejia has taken on a vocal role supporting Raman, attending news conferences with her and maintaining an active social media presence that both promotes her vision and critiques the incumbent administration. One specific point of contention cited by Mejia involves Mayor Bass’s refusal to approve an audit by Mejia into her homelessness initiative, Inside Safe. Raman has supported such scrutiny, which Mejia suggests reflects a broader divide over approaches to key policy issues.

On the other hand, Bass retains significant support from other elected officials, including DSA councilmembers Monica Rodriguez and Rick Chavez Zbur, who represented her at the post-debate event. Raman’s campaign, however, has argued throughout the race that endorsements from politicians do not necessarily indicate broader voter sentiments.

With the mayoral election approaching, Mejia’s endorsement of Raman underscores the fractured nature of endorsements within Los Angeles politics and highlights ongoing debates over reform and governance in the city.