Los Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman offered conflicting accounts this week about whether she would remove LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell if elected, after previously signaling she intended to oust him.
In an interview with ABC 7, the city councilmember said replacing McDonnell was not a near-term priority. “You know, replacing the chief of police is not on my 100-day agenda. Restoring trust with our law enforcement and the public is on my 100-day agenda,” Raman said, while adding that McDonnell has not “met the moment.”
Asked about Mayor Karen Bass’s warning that firing McDonnell roughly 18 months before Los Angeles hosts the 2028 Olympics could cause problems, Raman appeared to soften her stance further. “That’s all stuff that I think about now and things that certainly I will be weighing and considering as we move forward,” she told ABC 7. “I believe his term goes through 2030, if I’m not mistaken, and at that point I think I would be looking to appoint a new chief.”
But when a reporter sought clarification on Saturday, Raman described a different timeline. “Chief McDonnell is Mayor Bass’s police chief. I have made it clear that I would seek a chief who can keep Angelenos safe and restore trust with our immigrant communities,” she said, adding that she would work with the Police Commission and LAPD command staff on a “careful, orderly transition.” She went on to say, “Chief McDonnell’s term ends in 2030 and I would expect to replace him prior to that.”
A Rocky Week for the Campaign
The shifting statements follow a turbulent stretch for Raman’s campaign ahead of the Nov. 3 election. A now-deleted video showed McDonnell’s face crossed out with a red X alongside the phrase “Only you can stop fascist liars.” The clip, a 90-second Instagram video filmed Sunday at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College, featured Raman alongside influencer Ed Choi, who asked her how she would “de-fascist-ize” the city after claiming Los Angeles had become “extremely fascist.”
Mayor Bass criticized Raman over the video, calling her “incredibly irresponsible” and “not ready for prime time.” The Los Angeles Police Protective League warned that the imagery could put the chief at risk.
Raman’s campaign said the video had been edited by Choi and that her comments were directed at ICE and the Trump administration, not at McDonnell or LAPD officers. Choi has since said on Instagram that Raman told him defunding the police was on the table and that McDonnell would be removed.
A History of Shifting Positions
Raman’s statements on policing have evolved over several years. In 2020, she supported the “defund the police” movement and proposed shrinking the LAPD substantially. In February, she said the department should keep its roughly 8,700 officers, even though she had voted weeks earlier against hiring 170 additional officers. In September, she acknowledged that her thinking on defunding the police had changed.
Raman voted in favor of confirming McDonnell as police chief when the City Council approved his appointment 11-2 in November 2024.
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