Photo via Daily Mail

Growing fears woke LA mayoral hopeful will defund police, close jails and turn blind eye to drugs chaos as she's branded a socialist wolf in sheep's clothing

Read the original at Daily Mail ↗
Cite

Toledo, J. (2026, September 21). Growing fears woke LA mayoral hopeful will defund police, close jails and turn blind eye to drugs chaos as she's branded a socialist wolf in sheep's clothing. Daily Mail. https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16148133/nithya-raman-los-angeles-mayor-police.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Daily Mail · collected 2026-09-21 · by Jack Toledo

Quick Summary

The Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) spokesman Tom Saggau accused mayoral hopeful Nithya Raman of planning to implement socialist policies, including defunding police and closing jails, if elected. Saggau claims that Raman pledged to co-govern the city with the Democratic Socialists of America’s Los Angeles branch and promote their policy demands such as decommissioning Men's Central Jail and rejecting laws targeting protestors. The LAPPL distributed pamphlets warning voters about Raman's ties to DSA, describing them as deceptive “wolves in sheep's clothing” aiming for a socialist regime in LA.
Written by AI on 2026-09-21, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Nithya Raman, a mayoral candidate in Los Angeles, has come under scrutiny from the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) for alleged ties to the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). The LAPPL, which represents 8,700 LAPD officers, claims that Raman endorsed by DSA-LA after pledging to participate in their program and run as a Democratic Socialist, aiming to implement policies such as police funding cuts and jail closures from City Hall. Saggau, an LAPPL spokesman, warned that she is "wolves masquerading as sheep," misleading voters about her true agenda to embed socialist policies in Los Angeles. Raman voted against $100,000 for the LAPD's participation in a terrorism threat analysis center but supported $320,000 for de-escalation training for 450 recruits.

Written for “Nithya Raman Mayor Controversy” on 2026-11-01, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Nithya Raman Mayor Controversy
Politics · 2 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 14% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Daily Mail
Hedges 5 of 31 claims Outlet record 68/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of Nithya Raman's mayoral campaign: one focuses on criticisms from the police union about her policies, while the other reports on a poll showing her leading in the election.”
New York Post
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 2 of 16 claims Outlet record 66/100
“While both articles criticize Nithya Raman's stance on homelessness and her potential policies as mayor, they describe different aspects of the campaign. Article A focuses on a specific ad about homeless encampments near schools, while Article B discusses broader concerns over defunding the police and closing jails.”
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 37 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss similar concerns about Nithya Raman's socialist policies and her relationship with DSA, but they do not describe the exact same incident or occurrence.”
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 29 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of Nithya Raman's mayoral campaign and her stance on policies related to the Democratic Socialists of America, but they do not describe the same specific incident or occurrence.”
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 18 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of Nithya Raman's mayoral campaign and her relationship with the DSA, but do not describe the same specific incident or happening.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
29
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
14%
4 of 29 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
68/100
Daily Mail's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
2
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-21 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Daily Mail · 8628 article(s) · 21 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 21 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Jack Toledo
60 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 At the conference, Langley also admitted that he would prefer never to speak to the media again.
🔮 However, she acknowledged that she could have handled her discussions about race 'more delicately.'
🔮 It remains unclear when Christensen is expected to appear in court.
🔮 The former teacher booked a room at the same hotel at least four times, on May 8, June 4, June 11 and over the July Fourth holiday.
🔮 Gina Fiore, 48, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal she was working as a blackjack dealer when she decided at 24 that she would make gambling her full time job.
🔮 Six Flags plans to add seatbelts to a roller coaster in Georgia after a man was ejected from the ride to his death, a move that may lead to slower lines, according to an expert.
🔮 The dangerous challenge has made rounds on social media for years, with platforms such as Facebook previously announcing they would remove such videos.
🔮 After revealing that the school was about 247 percent over capacity to the board, the foundation's Executive Director Hayat Jaludi explained that she defied the capacity limits because she did not want to disrupt students' education. 'If there are any educators in this room, you will understand and appreciate the importance of not disrupting or interrupting students' right to be educated,' Hayat said.
🔮 - See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Vice President JD Vance has revealed that he may not run for president in 2028, as a recent poll casts doubt on whether Americans believe he and President Trump are leading the US down the right path. Vance, 42, revealed during an hour-long town hall hosted by CBS News on Saturday that there was certainly a chance he would not pursue the presidency to succeed Trump.
🔮 That lady would've got West Coast cussed out immediately omg.
Also by Jack Toledo
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 60 articles by Jack Toledo →

Topics

DSA LAPPL Los Angeles the Daily Mail the Los Angeles Police Protective League

Subjects

DSA ORG · 10× Raman PERSON · 6× Saggau PERSON · 6× Nithya Raman PERSON · 5× LAPPL ORG · 3× Los Angeles GPE · 3× DSA-LA ORG · 2× Karen Bass PERSON · 2× the Daily Mail ORG · 2× the Los Angeles Police Protective League ORG · 2×

Narrative

Nithya Raman was accused by the Los Angeles Police Protective League of pledging to co-govern the city with Democratic Socialists of America LA 'Nithya Raman was endorsed by the DSA-LA after being required to explicitly pledge to participate in the DSA-LA program to run as a Democratic Socialist,' said the LAPPL The LAPPL echoed Saggau's accusation of her co-governing with the socialist party in a pamphlet sent to 100,000 homes across the city. 'Nithya Raman was endorsed by the DSA-LA after being required to explicitly pledge to participate in the DSA-LA program to run as a Democratic Socialist,' reads the booklet.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-21
🔮 - See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source LA mayoral hopeful Nithya Raman was accused by the city's police union of pledging to push socialist policies that would defund the police, close jails, and escalate the city's drug problem.

Claims (29 extracted, 4 hedged)

- See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source LA mayoral hopeful Nithya Raman was accused by the city's police union of pledging to push socialist policies that would defund the police, close jails, and escalate the city's drug problem. asserted
that → see → problem
Tom Saggau, spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL), told the Daily Mail that voters 'should not be fooled by' the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). asserted
voters → tell → America
Saggau accused Raman, a Democrat, of pledging to co-govern the city with DSA's LA branch and push its agenda from City Hall, should she be elected. asserted
she → accuse → Hall
'Nithya Raman agreed to co-govern with the DSA, and the actual DSA policy demands listed on their website are quite scary,' Saggau said. asserted
Saggau → agree → website
DSA-LA has a laundry list of demands posted on their website, including 'Decommission facilities like Men’s Central Jail' and 'Reject efforts to expand domestic anti-terrorism laws that target protestors'. asserted
that → have → protestors
Saggau said Los Angeles voters should not be fooled by DSA activists, who he claims disguise their true intentions and implement additional policies once in power. uncertain
he → say → power
'Seizing private homes, seizing small businesses, defunding and abolishing the police, and allowing dangerous homeless encampments next to schools, daycares and parks,' are just some of the proposals the spokesman referenced. asserted
spokesman → seize → proposals
Raman, a 45-year-old councilmember, was endorsed by the DSA for the November 3 election against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass. asserted
Raman → endorse → Bass
Nithya Raman was accused by the Los Angeles Police Protective League of pledging to co-govern the city with Democratic Socialists of America LA 'Nithya Raman was endorsed by the DSA-LA after being required to explicitly pledge to participate in the DSA-LA program to run as a Democratic Socialist,' said the LAPPL The LAPPL echoed Saggau's accusation of her co-governing with the socialist party in a pamphlet sent to 100,000 homes across the city. 'Nithya Raman was endorsed by the DSA-LA after being required to explicitly pledge to participate in the DSA-LA program to run as a Democratic Socialist,' reads the booklet. asserted
booklet → accuse → Socialist
The police union cited how the DSA proposed expropriating 'privately owned housing,' while expanding public ownership of businesses such as grocery stores and restaurants. asserted
DSA → cite → stores
This week, Raman voted against $100,000 being used to help the LAPD participate in the Joint Regional Intelligence Center, which helps federal and local agencies share information about terrorist threats, according to the New York Post. uncertain
agencies → vote → Post
However, she also voted 'yes' to $320,000 in federal funds to be used for de-escalation training for 450 new recruits joining the city's police department. asserted
she → vote → department
'They are wolves masquerading as sheep, skilled at misinformation and distraction,' Saggau told the Post. asserted
Saggau → masquerade → Post
'Make no mistake, they are playing a long game designed to embed a socialist regime in Los Angeles. asserted
they → make → Angeles
'She and her socialist supporters want to talk about anything and everything except the actual policy demands listed on the socialists' website. asserted
She → want → website
The Daily Mail has reached out to Raman and the DSA for comment. asserted
Mail → reach → comment
Raman is facing off against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in the Los Angeles Mayoral election The police union claimed Raman will push the DSA-LA's agenda which includes policies such as defunding the police, closing jails and decriminalizing drug use The DSA has found recent success in elections, notably with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, despite the group supporting controversial policies. asserted
group → face → policies
Among DSA-LA's demands on its website are also proposals to redirect police funds, and a desire to 'reduce the number of sworn personnel and replace sworn personnel with civilian employees for traffic enforcement and mental health interventions. asserted
proposals → redirect → enforcement
' Decriminalizing drug use is another controversial policy DSA-LA supports. asserted
LA → decriminalize → use
Its website also calls for an end to 'collaboration with ICE. asserted
website → call → ICE
Saggau told the Post that the union hosted voter focus groups that were presented with the socialist group's policies. asserted
that → tell → policies
The spokesman said voters had strong, and even visceral reactions, specifically after learning about the proposed seizure of private property. 'Once people figure 'expropriate' means they could lose their house, everything gets real,' Saggau said. uncertain
Saggau → say → house
Raman has been backed by the DSA since 2020, when she was first elected as a councilmember, the Post reports. asserted
Post → back → councilmember
The organization also supported her successful reelection campaign in 2024. asserted
organization → support → 2024
She was described as a dues-paying member in the organization's voter guide, according to the outlet. uncertain
She → describe → outlet
As a councilmember, Raman also agreed with the DSA in opposing an anti-camping rule that prohibits encampments within 500 feet of schools. asserted
that → agree → schools
At a debate in 2024, Raman said she did not think children were any safer with a tent having to be 500 feet away. asserted
tent → say → 2024
'I don't think a kid's going to be safer because a tent is 500 feet away from a school, it's like, whatever,' said the candidate. asserted
candidate → think → school
A poll from Thursday by Impact Research found an extremely close race, with Raman at 37 percent of the vote and Bass at 38 percent, while 26 percent remained undecided. asserted
percent → find → percent
💬Give feedback
🕘History 🎫Support