Meet Nithya

Nithya Raman is an urban planner, a graduate of Harvard and MIT, a working mother, an immigrant to America, and a member of the Los Angeles City Council representing District 4.

After serving several years as the Co-Chair of the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council Homelessness Committee, as well as co-founding the SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition, Nithya felt there was a gap between city services and the expanding homelessness crisis – a gap she was equipped to fill.

She ran for City Council in 2020 and won a historic victory, becoming the first Asian-American woman and the first South Asian ever to serve on the City Council.

Since taking office, Councilmember Raman has prioritized delivering compassionate and effective services for people experiencing homelessness, building more affordable housing, and moving with greater urgency to meet our city’s climate goals.

She has built a dedicated team that takes a proactive approach to constituent services, ensuring her office both responds to incoming requests and goes out in the field to meet people where they are, informing them about vaccinations, rent relief, fire safety, and more.

Councilmember Raman serves as Chair of the Housing & Homelessness Committee, Vice Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on City Governance Reform, and as a member of the Energy & Environment, Public Works, and Transportation Committees.

Councilmember Raman was also appointed to the South Coast Air Quality Management District Governing Board by former Mayor Eric Garcetti, and to the Board of the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency by Mayor Bass. 

Nithya lives in Silver Lake with her husband Vali Chandrasekaran and young twins Karna and Kaveri.