L.A. City Councilmember Nithya Raman

I Miss India’s Street Food

| Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

Nithya Raman is an urban planner and member of the Los Angeles City Council representing District 4. She has worked on homelessness for many years, co-founding the SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition and serving as vice chair of the city council’s Housing Committee. Before sitting on a panel for the Zócalo/KCRW event “Do We Even Need a City Council?,” Raman sat down in our green room to talk about Keralan delicacies, Friends, and Rihanna.

November 11, 2022

How Do You Solve a Problem Like L.A.’s City Council?

In This Moment of Pain and Division, There’s Opportunity to Demand Real Change for Our Democracy

by Jackie Mansky | November 4, 2022

“Do we even need a city council?” That was the provocative title question posed at last night’s Zócalo/KCRW event at the Herald Examiner Building in downtown Los Angeles.

To get at …

Abolish the California Capital

The Pandemic Showed Us the Wonders of a Decentralized State Government

by Joe Mathews | June 29, 2021

Why bother maintaining a state capital?

Californians certainly shouldn’t. The pandemic demonstrated what things are essential in California, and what things we can live without. Among our superfluous assets: the designation …

California’s Unincorporated Places Can Be Poor, Powerless—And the Perfect Place to Commit Murder

It’s Time to Do Better by Communities That Don’t Even Have Local Police to Call, Let Alone Defund

by Joe Mathews | November 10, 2020

We are all unincorporated now.

Unincorporated communities—places that aren’t part of an incorporated city or town, and thus don’t have their own municipal government—live at the whims and mercies of their …

Madrid Has 57 Councilmembers. Seoul Has 110. Why Does L.A. Have 15?

More Mayoral Authority Won’t Empower California Cities; Electing More of Your Neighbors to Local Posts Will

by Joe Mathews | September 1, 2020

If you want to make your California city government stronger, don’t make your mayor more powerful. Instead, make your city council bigger.

This summer, two of our state’s most thoughtful …

To Rein in California’s Cops, Reclaim City Hall

Escalating Salaries, Benefits, and Pensions for Police Are Crowding Out Other Services Our State Badly Needs

by Joe Mathews | June 9, 2020

When you hear cops reporting widespread looting in California, you should believe them. Because they are true experts. Indeed, for many decades, the most successful looters in our state have …

local government

L.A. City Councilmember Nithya Raman

I Miss India’s Street Food

How Do You Solve a Problem Like L.A.’s City Council?

In This Moment of Pain and Division, There’s Opportunity to Demand Real Change for Our Democracy

Abolish the California Capital

The Pandemic Showed Us the Wonders of a Decentralized State Government

California’s Unincorporated Places Can Be Poor, Powerless—And the Perfect Place to Commit Murder

It’s Time to Do Better by Communities That Don’t Even Have Local Police to Call, Let Alone Defund

Madrid Has 57 Councilmembers. Seoul Has 110. Why Does L.A. Have 15?

More Mayoral Authority Won’t Empower California Cities; Electing More of Your Neighbors to Local Posts Will

To Rein in California’s Cops, Reclaim City Hall

Escalating Salaries, Benefits, and Pensions for Police Are Crowding Out Other Services Our State Badly Needs

Get More Zócalo

How Do You Solve a Problem Like L.A.’s City Council?

In This Moment of Pain and Division, There’s Opportunity to Demand Real Change for Our Democracy

Make Your City Council Meetings Feel Like a Starbucks

If You Want Folks to Show Up, Gather Some Comfy Chairs, Serve Coffee, Maybe Even Pour Drinks

Los Angeles Doesn’t Need a City Council

Resignations Won’t Fix a Broken System. Instead, Let Everyday Citizens Take Charge

Why Mexico City Is the Capital of California’s Future

The New Constitution of Mexico’s Capital Inspires Badly Needed Democracy and Local Sovereignty

Get More Zócalo