Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman emerged as one of the top winners in the closely watched 2026 California primary race, setting up a November runoff against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass.
Rahman became the first South Asian woman elected to the Los Angeles City Council in 2020, defeating reality TV personality Spencer Pratt in a dramatic vote count.
Raman’s husband Vali Chandrasekaran is a television writer and producer known for his Hollywood comedy work. Chandrasekaran has written and produced episodes for several hit television series, including the NBC sitcom 30 Rock and other major network productions.
