Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman has emerged as one of the biggest winners of California’s closely watched 2026 primary elections, advancing to a November runoff against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass.
Raman, who became the first South Asian woman elected to the Los Angeles City Council in 2020, edged out reality television personality Spencer Pratt in the dramatic vote count.
Raman is married to Vali Chandrasekaran, a television screenwriter and producer known for his work in Hollywood comedy. Chandrasekaran has written and produced episodes for several popular television series, including the NBC sitcom 30 Rock and other major network productions.
