LAPD Union Warns Against DSA Endorsement of LA Mayoral Candidate Raman

The union's public opposition to Raman reflects a documented tension between organized labor in policing and democratic socialist electoral coalitions that has shaped municipal races in several...

The Los Angeles Police Protective League, which represents approximately 8,700 LAPD officers according to its own public statements, issued a public warning in September 2026 against City Council member Nithya Raman, who is running for Los Angeles mayor. The union's concern centers on an endorsement Raman received from the Democratic Socialists of America Los Angeles chapter, known as DSA-LA.

Tom Saggau, the union's spokesman, stated publicly that Raman had pledged to "co-govern" with DSA-LA, an assertion the union cited as the basis for its opposition. The claim was reported by the New York Post on September 20, 2026. Raman has not publicly confirmed or denied the "co-govern" characterization as of the date of this article's publication.

The Los Angeles Police Protective League is a recognized collective bargaining unit for rank-and-file LAPD officers. Its political endorsements and public statements are matters of public record. The league has previously engaged in city election cycles and its positions on candidates are available through its public communications and, where applicable, California Fair Political Practices Commission filings.

DSA-LA is the Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, a national organization. DSA-LA's endorsement decisions are made through internal membership votes and announced publicly. The organization has endorsed candidates in local and state races in California in prior election cycles. Whether any formal written agreement exists between Raman's campaign and DSA-LA regarding governance commitments is not confirmed by any document currently in the public record.

Raman currently represents the Fourth District on the Los Angeles City Council, a seat she has held since 2020 following her defeat of incumbent David Ryu. Her campaign finance disclosures are filed with the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission, which maintains a public database of contributions and expenditures for all city candidates.

The mayoral race in Los Angeles follows the departure of Mayor Karen Bass, whose term has been marked by the city's ongoing homelessness and housing crises. Los Angeles uses a nonpartisan primary system, with a general election runoff between the top two finishers if no candidate receives a majority. The current election calendar and candidate list are maintained by the Los Angeles City Clerk's office.

The dynamic between police unions and candidates endorsed by democratic socialist organizations has been documented in other major city races. In New York City's 2021 mayoral primary, the Police Benevolent Association publicly opposed candidates who had received DSA endorsements, citing policy disagreements over policing budgets. In Seattle, similar tensions emerged during 2019 and 2021 city council races. These patterns are drawn from public endorsement records and union press statements in those jurisdictions.

The specific policy positions DSA-LA advocates for are documented in the organization's published platform, which is publicly available on its website. Whether those positions differ materially from positions Raman has stated in her own campaign materials is a question of public record that can be answered by comparing DSA-LA's platform documents with Raman's official campaign platform filings and public statements.

The LAPD union's characterization of Raman's backers as "wolves masquerading as sheep," attributed to Saggau in the New York Post report, is the union's stated position and not an editorial judgment of this publication. The union has not released any written document, contract, or recording it claims to be the basis for the "co-govern" assertion.

Several material facts remain unknown. It is unknown whether a written agreement between Raman's campaign and DSA-LA exists, and if so, its contents. A formal campaign-to-organization agreement, if executed, would likely be a private document and would not automatically be subject to public disclosure under California law unless it involved expenditure coordination subject to campaign finance reporting rules. The Los Angeles City Ethics Commission's public filings would be the appropriate record to consult for any coordination-related disclosures. Raman's campaign has not responded on the record to the union's specific "co-govern" allegation as of September 21, 2026.