Los Angeles mayoral hopeful Nithya Raman is sending mixed messages about her pick to the lead the LAPD after committing to oust the city’s current top cop if elected.
During an interview with ABC 7, the socialist city councilmember insisted that booting Chief Jim McDonnell was not on her list of priorities if she beats incumbent Mayor Karen Bass.
“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, adding that McDonnell has not “met the moment.”
When pressed her Bass’s warning that firing McDonnell 18 months before the 2028 Olympics could be disastrous, Raman appeared to pump the brakes.
“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 the outlet.
“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.”
When the California Post sought clarification on Saturday — after the radical candidate had repeatedly insisted on sending McDonnell packing if elected — Raman offered a different timetable.
“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 told The Post, promising to work with the Police Commission and LAPD command staff on a “careful, orderly transition.”
“Chief McDonnell’s term ends in 2030 and I would expect to replace him prior to that,” she said.
The shifting timeline caps a turbulent week for Raman, whose since-deleted “fascist liars” video featured McDonnell with a giant red X across his face, sparking outrage from Bass, McDonnell and the police union just weeks before the Nov. 3 election.
She appeared in controversial clip with lefty influencer Ed Choi, who interviewed Raman for a 90-second Instagram video filmed Sunday at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College.
Choi accused LA of becoming “extremely fascist” and asked Raman how she would “de-fascist-ize” the city.
The pair stated “Only you can stop fascist liars” in a video featuring images of Bass and McDonnell, whose face was crossed out in red.
Bass blasted Raman as “incredibly irresponsible” and “not ready for prime time,” while the Los Angeles Police Protective League warned the imagery could endanger the chief.
Raman’s campaign blamed Choi’s editing, insisting her remarks targeted ICE and the Trump administration, not McDonnell or LAPD officers.
But Choi has since claimed on Instagram that Raman told him defunding the police was on the table and McDonnell would be out.
The claim adds another wrinkle to Raman’s changing positions on policing.
In 2020, she embraced “defund the police” and proposed transforming the LAPD into a much smaller force.
In February, she said the department should maintain its roughly 8,700 officers, despite voting against hiring 170 additional cops weeks earlier.
And in September, Raman acknowledged her thinking on defunding had changed.
Raman voted to confirm McDonnell as police chief in November 2024, when the City Council approved his appointment 11-2.
