The ad, titled “Nithya Raman Won’t Keep Our Kids Safe,” shows a young girl walking past a series of homeless tents near a school while a voice‑over repeats Raman’s former comment that a child would not necessarily be safer simply because a tent is 500 feet away. The girl narrates, “Walking to school shouldn’t be scary. Bad things can happen. I see things I’m not supposed to. So I keep my head down so I don’t have to look, or step on a needle.”
Raman has repeatedly opposed expanding the city’s anti‑camping restrictions, arguing that moving encampments does not address the root causes of homelessness and that Los Angeles needs more shelter beds and affordable housing instead of additional buffer zones.
The police union cited its own records, saying Raman has voted more than 75 times against bans on homeless encampments at over 500 locations near schools, parks, daycares and other sensitive sites.
City records reviewed by the Los Angeles Times show that a $62.6 million homeless initiative championed by Raman had placed only three households into permanent housing by June 25, far short of the program’s goal of moving roughly 2,000 people into stable homes.
The union’s attack also highlighted a personal controversy: Raman plans to remodel her 1,879‑square‑foot Silver Lake home into a 3,528‑square‑foot residence with a spa and two‑car garage, a move that critics say contradicts her public stance on housing affordability.
Raman’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment at the time of publication. The ad adds a new flashpoint to a mayoral race already heated over how the city will tackle its growing homelessness crisis.