Calling for housing for all' and free buses, progressive Rae Huang enters Los Angeles mayor's race

"Housing advocate Rae Huang's announcement that she will run for mayor of Los Angeles injected a progressive voice into what had been shaping up as a matchup between Mayor Karen Bass and former LAUSD superintendent Austin Beutner. Huang, deputy director of Housing Now California and an ordained Presbyterian minister, enters the race on a platform that calls for housing for all, fast and free buses, stronger workers protection and a public safety approach focused on prevention and care."

"Her entry presents Bass a veteran Democratic leader who won in 2022 after a high-profile clash with developer Rick Caruso with a challenge on her left flank at a time when the incumbent faces scrutiny over the city's finances, public services and the slow-moving recovery from the destructive Palisades fire. It also reorders the early structure of the race, creating distinct ideological lanes and raising the possibility that a more crowded field could push the contest into a costly November runoff."

"But analysts say she could still influence the race, especially at a moment when many Angelenos are frustrated with high housing costs and inconsistent city services. Think of Rae Huang less as an L.A. version of Mamdani and more like a local Bernie Sanders, said Dan Schnur, a political analyst who teaches at USC and UC Berkeley. It's hard to see her getting elected mayor, but she has the potential to cause major problems for Bass."

Rae Huang launched a campaign for Los Angeles mayor as a housing advocate, deputy director of Housing Now California and an ordained Presbyterian minister. Her platform centers on housing for all, fast and free buses, strengthened worker protections and a public safety model focused on prevention and care. Her candidacy introduces a progressive alternative to incumbent Mayor Karen Bass and former LAUSD superintendent Austin Beutner, potentially reshaping ideological lanes and raising runoff possibilities. Huang lacks prior elected experience and is best known within tenant-rights and progressive circles, but analysts say she could influence voters frustrated by housing costs, city services and recovery efforts.

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