By admin 
LOS ANGELES (KABC) — With only five weeks until election day, Los Angeles mayoral candidates Nithya Raman and Karen Bass addressed hundreds of seemingly skeptical Jewish voters on Tuesday night, outlining their positions on homelessness, public safety, antisemitism and the war in Gaza.
Read more Heartbroken family, community members mourn baby found dead in South LA dumpster
The forum at the Skirball Cultural Center came as the mayoral race intensifies, with Raman, a Los Angeles City Council member, polling ahead of Bass, the incumbent mayor. New polling shows Raman with a double-digit lead, while nearly one-third of voters remained undecided.
READ MORE: Nithya Raman opens big lead over Karen Bass in LA mayoral race, new poll shows
Raman faced early questions about her appearance months ago on popular streamer Hassan Piker’s podcast.
“I have spoken up against antisemitism, against language that I have found to be hateful,” Raman said. “The word genocide is a deeply painful word.”
Antisemitism and the candidates’ views on the war in Gaza and Israel’s response played prominently in the discussion. The candidates are running to lead a city that is home to the country’s second-largest Jewish population.
When asked whether she would call Israel’s actions a genocide, Bass focused on her responsibilities as mayor.
RELATED: Bass, Raman are nearly tied in fundraising with LA mayoral election weeks away
“When I think of foreign affairs, especially conflicts, my focus is on how they impact the city of L.A. And no, I don’t,” Bass said.
On local issues, Bass apologized for not being in Los Angeles during what she described as one of the most difficult moments of her career — the January 2025 wildfires.
Read more New images released in effort to ID young girl found dead in Dominguez Channel in Carson
“That will forever go down as one of the worst moments that I ever experienced. To me, not being here was very, very painful,” Bass said.
Until the number of unhoused people in L.A. rose in July, Bass had promoted what she saw as relative success in getting people off the streets.
Neither candidate offered a clear answer about how long homeless encampments should be allowed to remain. Raman noted the legal limitations the city faces when someone declines an offer of shelter.
“People can refuse shelter. People are able to say that they won’t go into a shelter, and if you offer that shelter and they don’t take it, there is no legal pathway to which you can force them to go indoors,” Raman said. “What you can do is force them to go from that particular location.”
“There just shouldn’t be people sleeping on our streets period,” Bass said.
With polls showing nearly one-third of voters still undecided, minds may not have changed, but more likely, solidified after the discussion.
“I found a lot of the way things have been handled pretty disappointing. I continue to be disappointed in the way L.A. funds a lot of things, and the mayor is in charge of that budget,” Raman voter Ravayna Coen said.
Bass supporter Houman Hemmati said he would back the incumbent.
“We have to decide between who will make the city worse or who will keep the city the way it is, with four years max in office. So I think Karen Bass is the person I’m going to put my support behind,” Hemmati said.
With five weeks remaining before Election Night, both candidates are working to reach voters who have not yet made their choice. Ballots will begin arriving by mail on Thursday.
Read more Rescue operation underway after medical helicopter crashes into waters near Catalina Island