Los Angeles Election Day guide: Bass vs. Raman mayoral runoff, free Metro rides, new council members in Districts 3 and 9

Los Angeles voters head to the polls on Tuesday, November 3, to choose between incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, 73, and City Council member Nithya Raman, 45, in a runoff. Both are Democrats; because no candidate cleared 50% in the June 2 primary, the top two advanced to November. A Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies / Los Angeles Times poll of likely voters, conducted October 19-25, found the two tied at 40% each, with about 19% undecided; in September, Raman led Bass 39% to 28% in a poll by the same organizations. (Cover photo is a file photo of Los Angeles City Hall.)

Runoff fought over homelessness, policing and the 2028 Olympics

Key issues include the fallout from the 2025 Palisades Fire, homelessness and housing, public safety and policing, basic city services, preparations for the 2028 Summer Olympics and a strained city budget. Bass is backed by Governor Gavin Newsom, Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi and nearly every City Council member; Raman has Our Revolution and the Sierra Club. Raman, a former Bass ally who entered the race hours before the filing deadline, criticized Bass's absence during critical moments in an October debate, vowing: “If there is another emergency, you will not have to ask, if I am mayor, where our mayor is. I will be on the front lines.”

Districts 3 and 9, city attorney also on the ballot; Metro free all day

Voters in Council Districts 3 and 9 elect new representatives, replacing Bob Blumenfield and Curren Price, who are termed out: businessman Tim Gaspar faces former county employee Barri Worth Girvan in the Third District, while Estuardo Mazariegos faces former Price deputy chief of staff Jose Ugarte in the Ninth, which is poised to elect a Latino council member for the first time since 1962. Citywide, voters elect a new city attorney after incumbent Hydee Feldstein-Soto failed to advance from the June primary. On transport, LA Metro says its buses, trains and on-demand Metro Micro service are free all day November 3, with no card tap or ticket needed; Metro Bike Share offers a free 30-minute ride with code 110326. Metro also lists ballot drop boxes at five transit locations — North Hollywood, Hollywood Western, Wilshire Vermont, Westlake MacArthur Park and Union Station — and ballots must reach a drop box by 8 p.m. Pacific time on Election Day.