Raman Drops Staffer Over Video

One part-time staffer lost his job with less than a week left in the Los Angeles mayoral race after posting a video that drew sharp criticism from a rival campaign.

The firing involves Eric Cheng, who worked as a liaison between Nithya Raman’s team and digital content creators. Cheng posted to Instagram on the weekend before Tuesday’s election. In the clip, he discussed U.S. Senate politics in Michigan. He claimed Rep. Haley Stevens, a Democrat, was attempting to "brainwash a lot of the Black vote" in her state.

Michael Trujillo, a strategist supporting Mayor Karen Bass, reacted quickly on social media. He said the comments showed the Raman campaign had a "ignorance of the African American community." He urged Raman’s team to issue an apology. Raman’s campaign responded within one hour. The team confirmed Cheng was no longer with the race. A statement described the video as posted on a personal account. It called the remarks "reprehensible" and said they did not reflect the campaign’s views.

Raman political strategist Jeff Millman confirmed the termination on Monday. Cheng did not provide a comment when contacted. This is the latest social media controversy for Raman during the current cycle. Last month, she appeared in a video with an influencer. In that clip, she said "only you can stop fascist liars" while denouncing Police Chief Jim McDonnell. Raman removed the video afterward. She explained it was edited improperly and that she was referring to President Trump and immigration agents, not McDonnell. Bass used that moment to argue Raman was not ready for citywide office.

The candidates have clashed over immigration enforcement as well. Bass criticized Raman for calling the LAPD under former Chief Daryl F. Gates the "gold standard." Bass argued that title ignored Gates’ treatment of Black and Latino residents. Raman initially accused Bass of twisting her words. She later apologized for using Gates’ name to make her point.