Nithya Raman Recall Petition Approved By City Clerk

TOLUCA LAKE, CA — The Los Angeles City Clerk officially approved a petition for the recall of Councilwoman Nithya Raman. Raman, who represents communities such as Hollywood, Sherman Oaks, Toluca Lake and more, has been in office for about seven months.

“Nithya Raman won by only 7,600 votes—a sliver of the CD4 electorate. So many that voted for her have told us they now have buyer’s remorse,” said Allison B. Cohen, the lead proponent in the recall effort and the founder and publisher of the Los Feliz Ledger. “We can do this and we will. We must restore safety and sanity to CD4.”

Recall proponents say Raman has been mishandling the city's homelessness crisis, and specifically point to a Los Feliz encampment on Berendo Street they say has been overrun by criminal activity and drug use. Cohen also cited Raman's "lack of availability and transparency with constituents" as reasons for the recall.

Raman responded to the recall effort with a statement June 15, saying: "I love the people and the neighborhoods of this district. That's why I ran to represent it. I invite the organizers of this recall to work with me on making it an even better place to live, work and raise our children."

To get the recall effort on the ballot, organizers must obtain signatures from 15% of Council District 4's voters, which equals 27,405 signatures, by November 4.

The recall effort coincides with the petition to recall Councilman Mike Bonin, who represents Venice, Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades and other westside communities. Bonin was served a recall notice on June 15, with organizers also criticizing his handling of the homelessness crisis.

Specifically, the rapid growth of encampments along Venice Beach and Bonin's proposal that would potentially place homeless housing in beach parking lots, spurred the recall effort.

"This recall campaign is an extravagant waste of taxpayer money, a thinly disguised attempt to derail my efforts to provide real solutions to our homelessness crisis, and the latest in a series of recall attempts to silence strong progressive voices," Bonin said after he was served by the notice in June.

READ MORE: Petition Approved For Recall Of L.A. Councilman Mike Bonin

City News Service contributed to this report.