But the mayoral race has come to reflect a broader tension among Democratic officials navigating the party’s ideological civil war. An endorsement in this race could signal a preference for either the insurgent progressive wing of the party or for the more moderate establishment.
Meanwhile, the industry is showing Raman lots of love. Chelsea Handler, Mindy Kaling, Adam Scott, Fey, and Portman have all publicly lent their support to Raman or donated money, according to her campaign.
Conover, a member of the Writers Guild of America West’s board, spoke to Vanity Fair in an independent capacity. He said Hollywood’s creative class has embraced Raman because they view her as one of their own. “Her husband is a television writer,” he said. “This is the world that she comes from.”
As writers, actors, and crew members endure a prolonged slowdown in production, Conover said Raman’s Hollywood agenda—which calls for putting an experienced production hand in the city’s film office, streamlining permits, and cutting bureaucratic delays—resonates because workers may see in Raman somebody who “actually gives a shit.”
He contrasted that with Bass, whom he criticized for turning FilmLA into a “NIMBY” organization that’s more concerned with appeasing community complaints about production than driving it. He also is critical of Bass for failing to appear on the WGA or SAG-AFTRA picket lines while they were on strike in 2023.
“The improvements Mayor Bass made at FilmLA have resulted in permits being approved faster than at any point in LA history,” said Stack. “In nearly six years on the city council, Raman has never introduced a single piece of legislation to help the film industry—and when the council took up seven items in March 2026 to streamline film permitting and address the production downturn, Raman recused herself from four of them.”
