Yesterday, we published a story about an effort to recall City Councilmember Nithya Raman, recently launched by a coalition called CD4 for CD4. At the time the story was published, we had a query out to Raman’s office, asking if there was an official response to the recall campaign. We did not hear from the office before our publication deadline, but we did receive the following response from Raman later yesterday evening.
“I’m really focused on the broad progressive agenda that got so many voters in the district excited about my campaign: effectively moving people from the streets into housing, protecting tenants, supporting small businesses, fighting climate change, and improving our city’s response and engagement on the needs of all of CD 4’s constituents.
In the brief time that I have been in office, I’m proud of the work my team has done. We’ve enabled systematic outreach and connections to housing for dozens of encampments that had long been neglected. We’ve introduced and passed legislation to better protect vulnerable tenants from harassment, to support small businesses, and to improve our homelessness response. We’ve successfully advocated for a budget that restores funding and full staffing for Rec and Parks and that funds mental health services and alternative crisis response for the district. And we’ve worked with constituents in every single neighborhood of the 4th District to effectively address their concerns.
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.”
Larchmont Boulevard commercial strip should maintain a mix of businesses which focus on serving the specific communities of Hancock Park, Windsor Square and the immediate surrounding neighborhoods. There needs to be a concerted effort to both maintain and support local merchants and a limit on major, national firms “taking over” the street. Larchmont should not become a regional strip mall. Concerning Nithya Raman frankly I was surprised when she was elected to represent the 4th District however, given the lock down of City Hall and the lack of availability of staff during the past year and a half, I have little experience with either Raman or her staff. However, she has the credentials, it may be a perceived liberal democratic view that is questioned. I’l like to meet her and invite her to speak at UCLA Luskin Center for Public Affairs.