Commentary: A political earthquake in mayor's race makes election a referendum on L.A.'s future

"I had to set fire to my scorecard, and to the column I had just drafted, which touched on all the expected big-name challengers who had bowed out of the mayoral race in the past several days: L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, billionaire businessman Rick Caruso (who forced a runoff with Bass the last time around), and former L.A. Unified schools chief Austin Beutner."

"It was looking as though we wouldn't get a badly needed, monthslong, toe-to-toe face-off about all that's right and wrong in the sprawling metropolis of high hopes and low expectations. In a conversation I had with Loyola Marymount University's Fernando Guerra, a decades-long observer of the local political scene, he made this observation about the dull political season that was shaping up:"

Mayor Karen Bass experienced a volatile week as several high-profile challengers withdrew from the mayoral race, including L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, billionaire Rick Caruso, and former L.A. Unified schools chief Austin Beutner. Their exits appeared to leave Bass without an establishment opponent despite concerns about her handling of the Palisades fire, slow progress on homelessness and housing affordability, and deteriorating streets, sidewalks and parks. Political observer Fernando Guerra noted the absence of establishment challengers. Councilmember Nithya Raman unexpectedly entered the race, despite past mutual endorsements and alignment with Bass on major priorities, positioning herself as an underdog challenger.

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