Nithya Raman is an urban planner, a graduate of Harvard and MIT, a working mother, an immigrant to America, and a member of the Los Angeles City Council representing District 4.

After several years serving on the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council as well as co-founding the SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition, Nithya felt there was a gap between city services and the expanding homelessness crisis – a gap she was equipped to fill. 

She ran for City Council in 2020 and won a historic victory, becoming the first Asian-American woman and the first South Asian ever to serve on the City Council. 

Since taking office, Councilmember Raman has prioritized delivering compassionate and effective services for people experiencing homelessness, building more affordable housing, and moving with greater urgency to meet our city's climate goals.  She has built a dedicated team that takes a proactive approach to constituent services, ensuring her office both responds to incoming requests and goes out in the field to meet people where they are, informing them about vaccinations, rent relief, fire safety, and more. 

She serves as Chair of the Housing & Homelessness Committee, Vice Chair of the Board of Referred Powers Committee and the Ad Hoc Committee on City Governance Reform, and as a member of the Energy & Environment, Public Works, and Transportation Committees. Councilmember Raman was also appointed to the South Coast Air Quality Management District Governing Board by former Mayor Eric Garcetti. See here for more information on CD4’s extensive legislative efforts. 

Councilmember Raman lives in Silver Lake with her husband Vali Chandrasekaran and young twins Karna and Kaveri.