Nithya Raman stumbled through a televised denial about whether she would install ousted District Attorney George Gascón as LAPD chief if elected mayor of Los Angeles.
The democratic socialist candidate, who is challenging incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in the Nov. 3 election, appeared on NBC Sunday and offered a halting response when pressed about the controversial prospect. Raman, who has been endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America’s Los Angeles chapter, told the network: “No, no. I don’t know where the rumors are coming from. I don’t know him personally.”
The television appearance came just one day after Raman had given The California Post a flat denial about appointing Gascón, creating confusion about where she actually stands on the swirling speculation. Multiple law enforcement and political sources told The Post that Gascón’s name has been circulating inside City Hall and among rank-and-file officers as a possible replacement for current Chief Jim McDonnell.
Gascón, 72, spent four years as Los Angeles County District Attorney before voters overwhelmingly rejected him in 2024, electing Nathan Hochman instead. His tenure was marked by fierce battles over sentencing enhancements, juvenile prosecutions and policies that critics condemned as too lenient. Supporters countered that his reforms curbed excessive punishment and reduced racial disparities. Before becoming a prosecutor, Gascón joined the LAPD in 1978 and rose to assistant chief, then led police departments in Mesa, Arizona and San Francisco.
The prospect of his return to law enforcement in Los Angeles has triggered alarm across the political spectrum. “Gascón would turn the LAPD upside-down,” Dennis Zine, 79, a former LA City Councilman and longtime LAPD officer, told The Post. “He basically flipped from one extreme to the other — law enforcement to pro-criminal.”
Zine predicted catastrophic consequences for an already depleted force. “I would think you’d see a mass exodus of officers with less than five years on the job,” he warned. “It’s like the ship is sinking. Let’s get out while we can.”
Los Angeles City Councilwoman Traci Park connected the leadership question directly to the department’s staffing emergency. “Decisions about leadership and the appointment of the chief and command staff is something that will absolutely directly impact our staffing levels at LAPD,” Park said.
The Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union representing rank-and-file officers, issued a blistering statement through its board of directors. “Apparently, Nithya Raman’s public safety plan consists of appointing the author of Proposition 47, George Gascón, to be our Chief of Police,” the board charged. “We’d be laughing if it wasn’t so frightening that after getting bounced two-years ago as District Attorney by a landslide, Raman wants to flip her nose at voters and return Gascón to power.”
A well-connected senior LAPD officer told The Post that Gascón’s status as Raman’s preferred choice is treated as common knowledge within the department. “It’s not a secret. Everyone knows that. Everyone saying that she’s in touch with him,” the officer said.
First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli attacked the possibility during a Skid Row press conference. “I think when you talk to the residents of LA, they want law and order, the days of lawlessness are over,” Essayli said. “Mr. Gascón lost an election over that. So the decision will be made by the voters.”
Political strategist Michael Trujillo framed the issue as a test of democratic accountability. “After voters rejected Gascón as being a public safety official as our DA, do they really want Nithya Raman to backdoor him in as being the chief of police?” Trujillo told The Post.
The Gascón speculation has compounded Raman’s difficulties as she tries to clarify her position on McDonnell’s future. During an ABC7 interview Saturday, Raman insisted that replacing the chief was not among her immediate priorities. “You know, replacing the chief of police is not on my 100-day agenda. Restoring trust with our law enforcement and the public is on my 100-day agenda,” she said.
When pressed about Bass’ warning that removing McDonnell before the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics could prove disastrous, Raman suggested waiting until 2030. “I believe his term goes through 2030, if I’m not mistaken, and at that point I think I would be looking to appoint a new chief,” she said.
Yet when The California Post sought clarification the same day, Raman offered a different timeline. “Chief McDonnell’s term ends in 2030 and I would expect to replace him prior to that,” she told The Post, promising a “careful, orderly transition.”
Raman’s campaign has spent much of the past week managing fallout from a since-deleted social media video that featured McDonnell’s face crossed out with a giant red X beneath the words “Only you can stop fascist liars.” Her team insisted the message targeted ICE and the Trump administration, not the police chief, and blamed the video’s editing on left-wing influencer Ed Choi.
One current Los Angeles prosecutor delivered a dark assessment of what Gascón’s resurrection would mean. “Law enforcement hates him. Voters hate him. And Raman attempting to resurrect him should terrify residents of Los Angeles who suffered under the crime spree that took place while Gascón was the DA,” the prosecutor told The Post. “It’s a massive step backwards.”
Zine warned that the timing could prove especially damaging with the Olympics approaching. “You’re gonna see a lot of them leaving before the Olympics. There’s no question,” he said. “We don’t have enough officers now to maintain policing the city of Los Angeles, let alone the drain it’s gonna take on the Olympics.”
The mayoral election between Bass and Raman will be decided by Los Angeles voters on Nov. 3.