LA mayor-elect Raman addresses Latino voters

Tonight, a seismic shift in Los Angeles politics. A city council member aligned with Democratic Socialist has become the next mayor of Los Angeles. Tonight's vote tallies show Nithya Raman at 53%, incumbent mayor Karen Bass at 47%. Now, more votes remain to be counted, but election experts say the final outcome won't change. Congratulations for Raman's hard-fought victory are pouring in. Even the Los Angeles Police Protective League. Which spent nearly $5 million on the Bass campaign issued a statement of support for Raman saying, quote, all Angelenos have a vested interest in her success. Raman shared her vision at tonight's victory celebration. Over the past two years, we've seen a country that has rejected immigrants. And in so many ways, the immigrant dream, I'm an immigrant to this country. And this is a city of immigrants in so many ways, whether they came from across America or whether they came from across the world. This city has opened its arms to people to come and build their dreams here. And the idea that Angeleno's voted for an immigrant to be their next mayor at this moment in American history is so deeply moving to me and I want to tell every single Angeleno out there I am going to work so hard and everyone behind me is going to work so hard to earn your trust, to earn your trust and to earn the trust And to make people believe in Los Angeles again, to make people believe in its city hall again. Mayor Raman made her first public appearance following her victory at the original Farmer's Market in the Fairfax District. She thanked volunteers and also shared a special message with Latino voters. Fox 11's Christy Fajardo live in the Fairfax District to fill us in. Christy. Yeah, Christine and Glenn, if you had come out to me about two hours ago, you would have heard cheers and chants of Nithya, Nithya, Nithya from the second floor here at the original Farmer's Market. She came here for a private event, but it took her a while to get to that event because so many people wanted to stop and congratulate her. Take a look. Mayor-elect Nithya Raman was all smiles as she greeted supporters and surprised Angelenos at the Farmer's Market who lined up to take photos with her. She promised to earn their trust And to make public safety affordability. We spoke to a political analyst who says Latino voters tend to be younger and hungry for change, But he adds Bass's handling of the Palisades fire. And later, the Lineage Warehouse fire, which affected Boyle Heights and surrounding predominantly Latino neighborhoods, cost her their support and trust. We asked Rahman about Latino voters. Here's what she had to say. I wanted to ask you like why you thought you did so well in Latino communities and how pivotal they were to your win. I think they were very very pivotal and I'm really grateful for the support that I had from Latino neighborhoods. We're still waiting to see all the results so we'll see how it all plays out but I do want to say that the issues facing Latinos here in Los Angeles are exactly the same as those facing all of LA. The issues around public safety are very, very real. The cost of housing is too damn high. Homelessness needs to be addressed, and we have to address what's happening with ICE. And so these are issues that really matter for the entire city, and I think the way that I spoke about them hopefully resonated with Latino voters, and we're seeing that in the election results. Nitin Raman came into Los Angeles with high energy, with effervescence, and gave the impression that she was going to bring something fresh. Rahman, by the way, speaks Spanish, and her campaign did do a lot of Latino outreach, running ads in Spanish. In fact, it appears the algorithms on social media know that I'm Latina and that I speak Spanish because I was bombarded with them over the last couple of weeks. Live in the Fairfax District, I'm Christy Fajardo. I'll send it back to you. ...of all the ads and phone calls we all received during this very, very busy election campaign season. So, Christy, as you mentioned, the numbers are still being counted, but analysts are saying... The gap is just too wide. They're only going to come in favor more for Nithya Ram. And that's the case right now. Yes, that's what analysts are saying. You mentioned Boyle Heights, that she got a lot of support from there. The biggest story of the summer was that lineage warehouse fire and all of that rotting food. And, you know, having that summer leading up to the election, I mean, the Palisades fire certainly hurt Mayor Karen Bass. But that was probably the nail in the coffin was that warehouse fire. Well, especially if the numbers hold up because in the primary Boyle Heights actually supported bass and there seems to have been a turnaround in the months since. And we were out there many, many days, many, many weeks actually covering the lineage fire and talking to locals. And there was a lot of frustration with the mayor who they felt was not doing enough to address their concerns. She seemed to also have a really serious tone when she addressed the media and the crowd today. I'm thinking back to election night where she actually, it was very celebratory in a way, while they were still waiting for the numbers to come in, but she said, I want everybody here to dance. We have a video here on the dance floor, but today, very serious. Apologize, I couldn't hear what you were saying. Are you referring to Rahman or Bass? Referring to Rahman. If you hear the question... I didn't hear the question I heard that you said she was very serious and she came out and she was smiling. She seemed to be enjoying herself. She was meeting Angelenos. They were coming up to her. She was taking photos with them. Some had their children with them. She spoke Spanish to a few. So she seemed to be celebrating. All right, Christy Pardo live tonight at the original farmers market where the new mayor Nithya Raman celebrating with her supporters. Thank you. Meantime, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass tonight has conceded to Councilwoman Rahman. Bass issuing this statement, four years ago you elected me as the first black woman mayor in the history of Los Angeles. You gave me the honor of serving the city that raised me, and every single day since I have carried that responsibility with me. While this is not the outcome we hoped for, the people of Los Angeles have spoken. I have called Councilmember Nithya Rahman to congratulate her on her victory. And I have committed to ensuring a smooth and seamless transition. Moving this city forward is what Los Angeles needs from all of us.