Raman passes Pratt

Good morning, it’s Monday, June 8 and you can expect partial clouds with spots of sun (high 70s).

Mayor Karen Bass first responded with a shrug emoji.

It was just after 10:30 p.m. on the first Friday in February and there were less than 14 hours until the filing deadline for candidates to enter the Los Angeles mayor’s race. Despite a bruising year and brutal questions about her political future, L.A.’s first female mayor somehow still appeared poised to walk into a second term, with no serious competition in sight on that cloudy winter night. 

Then the rumors began ricocheting wildly through the tightknit world of L.A. politicos. 

A City Hall reporter soon took to X, posting that a “credible source” had told him that Raman, who had previously endorsed Bass, planned to enter the mayor’s race in the morning.

Bass opened the tweet and scrolled to Raman’s name in her contacts. She texted the post to Raman with no comment, just a single emoji of a woman with a quizzical expression on her face and her arms raised in a shrug. 

Raman did not respond to the mayor that night, according to messages L.A. Material obtained in a public records request. A mere 10 hours later, she showed up at a municipal building in downtown Los Angeles to enter the race. 

Now after four months that shattered political alliances across the city, and a campaign that at one point appeared to stall out just as reality TV star Spencer Pratt was gaining ground, Raman has achieved an astonishing reversal of fortune.

Though election night returns showed her down by 8 points, she steadily gained ground as the vote count continued — as progressive candidates tend to do in Los Angeles, due to voting patterns — and surpassed Pratt on Sunday night. 

The race has yet to be called, but Raman appears poised to make the November runoff with Bass, setting the stage for a ferocious battle between the former allies. 

Raman, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America who has been a prominent voice on the council for tenants, said she got into the race despite her previous support of the mayor because she felt frustrated by the direction of the city and by Bass’ leadership on homelessness and housing, among other issues. On Sunday evening, Raman put out a statement saying she was “encouraged by the latest vote count” and is “grateful to the thousands of Angelenos who have powered this campaign.” 

Allies of Bass, who remains in first place, would have far preferred that she face off against Pratt in November, considering the Republican reality star easier to beat. The mayor’s campaign team put out a statement Sunday attacking Raman. Bass looks “forward to winning a contest against an opponent who allows encampments near schools and fights against hiring more cops but is MIA on saving Hollywood jobs and fighting back when ICE invades L.A.,” the mayor’s spokesperson said.

The contest between Raman and Bass is unlikely to be the only battle to come out of the June mayoral primary.

On Sunday, President Donald Trump on “Meet the Press” declared that California election officials were “cheating.” The president said the slow pace at which the state produces its tallies is proof that the process is “crooked.” Last week, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said that his office has “multiple election fraud investigations underway.”

Meanwhile, in recent days, some on social media have begun spreading debunked conspiracy theories and questioning the veracity of the count as Raman cut into Pratt’s lead.

Pratt chimed in on Sunday morning, posting a photo of Raman to X with the caption, “Remember everyone …we are still in the lead and we’ve got alllll the way ‘til July 6 to keep counting. They’re not the only ones who know where to find the votes.”

Manhattan Beach epitomizes the American dream, SoCal style. For many families, the community’s prized asset — perhaps even ahead of its wide, surf-perfect beach — is its public school system. The eight campuses have a private-school feel, with sparkling buildings, athletic facilities to rival a high-end college, and parent-paid-for-perks such as a “makerspace,” a music program that starts in kindergarten, and reading specialists, librarians and counselors galore. 

To make all this possible in a public school district, the Manhattan Beach Education Fund raises about $7 million each year for the district, more than $1 million of it from the Manhattan Beach Wine Auction held every June, otherwise known as the “Mom Prom.” 

“Manhattan Beach parents love to party,” noted one parent and Wine Auction regular. 

But beneath the glitz and the giant, cabernet-fueled checks flowing into school coffers, the district’s finances have grown more precarious with each passing year. This spring, school board meetings descended into shock and acrimony, particularly after 58 teachers and staff got preliminary layoff notices in February, including two recent Teacher of the Year winners. 

L.A. Material’s Nicole LaPorte hit fundraisers and school board meetings to find out why one of L.A.’s ritziest school districts is in such bad shape — and what parents are trying to do about it.

MONDAY: Game 3 of the NBA finals is tonight, with the San Antonio Spurs facing off against the New York Knicks. President Trump is expected to attend at Madison Square Garden, upping the circus factor. 

Also: The U.S. Supreme Court is in its final weeks of this term, meaning several major decisions — including on birthright citizenship —  could come before the end of the month. 

TUESDAY: Under state law, this is the last day for local election officials to accept ballots postmarked by Election Day. 

WEDNESDAY: The Spurs and the Knicks will reunite for Game 4 of the NBA finals. 

THURSDAY: FIFA World Cup fever begins, with the games kicking off in Mexico City. Here’s the official list of fan zones across the region and L.A. Taco’s fan guide. Plus, a round up of Eastside watch parties, and soccer activities for kids. 

FRIDAY: The U.S. opening ceremony for the World Cup will include Katy Perry and Future at SoFi Stadium, ahead of the U.S. vs. Paraguay kickoff game.

SUNDAY: The annual L.A. Pride parade (not to be confused with WeHo Pride) will be held Sunday in Hollywood. 

IT'S OFFICIAL: Eunisses Hernandez, the L.A. City Council's leftmost member, declared victory Friday. Even with four challengers, the 36-year-old notched more than 55% of the vote, successfully avoiding a runoff in her Eastside district. 

IMMIGRATION RAIDS ANNIVERSARY: The L.A. Times’ Ruben Vives has a poignant story about the ongoing impacts of the immigration sweeps on a quinceañera dress store in L.A.’s fashion district, while L.A. Material’s Antonia Cereijido wrote a powerful dispatch on how the city’s top reggaeton station became a forum for grief and tension.

HOLLYWOOD HILLS HIKING DEATH: A middle-aged man was found dead off Nichols Canyon near Hollywood Boulevard. The LA Times reported that a fire department helicopter lowered first responders to the area where the hiker was to try to help him.

ANOTHER WOLVERINE: On Friday, we reported that there were at least five Harvard-Westlake graduates on some L.A. ballots last week. A sixth has come to our attention: Tenant rights attorney Henry Mantel (class of 2010) unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky in a Westside district that spans from Bel Air to Beverlywood. He was down by more than 40 points at last count.

For today’s peek inside our subscriber-only Discord server, @joshksky shares an unlikely election night visitor:

AND FINALLY… A poem to pair with your morning coffee: “From Blossoms” by Li-Young Lee.

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