Trust in city hall and pay-to-play concerns
In the 2026 Los Angeles mayor’s race, challenger Nithya Raman has attacked the status quo and alleged ‘pay to play’ politics involving special interests, while framing the contest as whether government can again deliver results residents trust. Broader California Latino voter sentiment has also reflected erosion of trust in institutions alongside affordability worries.
Where do you stand?
How should Los Angeles address concerns about special-interest influence and trust in city government?
How important is this to you?
✓ You told us where you stand
Sources
Nithya Raman — https://ballotpedia.org/Mayoral_election_in_Los_Angeles,_California_(2026)
Raman says Bass represents the status quo and engages in "'pay to play' politics, saying special interests ...
UnidosUS — https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYparl1kkfR
we heard deep concern about affordability and the erosion of trust in institutions
Positions on this issue · liberal → conservative
- Enact public financing, strict lobbying bans, and publicly owned contracting transparency
- Lower contribution limits, expand disclosure, and strengthen ethics enforcement
- Improve transparency and ethics training while keeping current campaign finance structure
- Ease rules so candidates can raise more competitively while disclosing donors fully
- Remove most local campaign finance limits as free speech and let voters punish corruption