Can American cities finally find a way to build more housing? While also championing tenants’ rights? That’s what Democratic Socialists of America candidate Nithya Raman is trying to do for Los Angeles, as she runs for mayor of the sprawling, expensive city.
Senior Future Perfect reporter Marina Bolotnikova noticed Raman had been making waves with her unorthodox housing vision. So she spoke with her on the phone to find out more — and put some of her ideas to the test. Their illuminating conversation helps make clear some of the biggest tensions in how the left has been approaching housing. And what could really make the city more livable.
The result of this mayoral race isn’t just of concern for Angelenos, Marina writes. If Raman wins, “she might cut a path forward for better housing policy in high-cost blue cities elsewhere.”
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—Katherine Courage, deputy editor Future Perfect
