Nithya Raman out as head of LA Housing and Homeless Committee

Nithya Raman is losing her powerful post overseeing Los Angeles’ homelessness crisis after roughly three and a half years marked by canceled meetings, stalled reforms and a $62.6 million housing initiative she championed that placed just three households.

City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson is splitting the Housing and Homelessness Committee Raman has chaired since 2023 as part of a leadership reshuffle. The announcement will be made in a letter set to be released later this week, The California Post has learned.

Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado, an active Democratic Socialists of America member representing Council District 14, is expected to lead the newly separated homelessness committee.

Jurado’s district includes Skid Row, downtown Los Angeles and Boyle Heights, and has historically contained the city’s largest concentration of homelessness.

Imelda Padilla, who represents a large portion of the San Fernando Valley, Council District 6, is expected to chair the new housing committee.

The shake-up comes as Raman challenges Mayor Karen Bass for mayor and faces growing scrutiny over her homelessness record — a centerpiece of her campaign.

Raman’s work on the homeless committee has routinely stalled since she announced her campaign for mayor.

More than 130 matters piled up after every Housing and Homelessness Committee meeting over a five-week stretch in April and May was canceled, The Post previously reported.

A $62.6 million homeless initiative championed by Raman also struggled, housing just three households by June 25 despite a goal of moving roughly 2,000 into permanent housing, city records reported by The Post showed.

Another major reform also stalled: A March 2024 proposal exploring greater city control over homelessness programs sat for 316 days before Raman’s committee took it up.

The federal government suspended Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) from federal grant activity amid an investigation into financial management, conflicts of interest and contract oversight.

Federal investigators found LAHSA failed to verify nearly 2,300 housing sites it was responsible for overseeing, while roughly 70% of contracts tied to those sites showed no reported spending during the previous year.

Raman’s committee nevertheless approved another $358 million for LAHSA in this year’s budget because City Hall still lacked the infrastructure to replace it. Raman has argued the turmoil validates her push for stronger city oversight.

The 2026 homeless count estimated 45,194 homeless people in Los Angeles, up 3.4% from the previous year, while unsheltered homelessness surged 7.9% to 29,115.

Raman has hammered Mayor Bass over the worsening numbers.

“The mayor’s job is not to explain why someone else is responsible,” Raman said. “The mayor’s job is to take charge of the system and deliver results.”

Raman is campaigning on a promise to cut unsheltered homelessness citywide by at least 50% before the 2028 Olympics, but she will now have to make that case without the homelessness committee gavel.

The Post reached out to Raman for comment.

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