Nithya Raman torches LAPD in yet another vicious attack on chief Jim McDonnell — but admits she has no idea who could do it better

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Los Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman launched yet another attack on LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell — who the socialist said she would boot if elected, without offering a replacement.

Raman criticized McDonnell over the cost of staffing the department, relationships with immigrants and ICE’s operations in LA, during an interview with ABC 7 on Tuesday.

“I believe that this police chief has lost the trust of our immigrant community here in LA,” Raman said.

But when pressed about a possible replacement for McDonell, Raman again declined to name a possible successor or say whether a new chief would be selected before the 2028 Olympics.

She said the process would require a search and partnerships with the Police Commission and City Council.

“It’s too important of a decision to set an arbitrary timeline or to make a decision before I’ve had a chance to talk to all the key stakeholders…” she said. “I will ensure that whoever we pick to be our next LAPD chief will keep us safe.”

Raman argued that LAPD staffing and costs have moved in the wrong direction, saying the city has “paying half a billion dollars more for 1,500 fewer officers than we were before.” 

Raman said former LAPD Chief Bernard Parks supports her campaign and that public-safety advisers have spoken with her.

She still did not identify a candidate for the job, but said the next chief should be transparent and accountable, deliver public-safety results, maintain hiring and “keep immigrants safe in the city.”

The repeated criticism follows the bruising controversy involving progressive influencer Ed Choi, who interviewed Raman for a 90-second Instagram video filmed at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College.

Choi accused Los Angeles of becoming “extremely fascist” and asked Raman how she would “de-fascistize” the city. 

The pair stated “Only you can stop fascist liars” in a video featuring images of Bass and McDonnell, whose face was crossed out in red.

Raman’s campaign blamed Choi’s editing but the influencer has since claimed on Instagram that Raman told him defunding the police was on the table and McDonnell was out.

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