Council Member Nithya Raman Enhances Spanish Fluency

Los Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman is utilizing Spanish to better connect with a significant portion of the city's residents.

Updated on Oct. 28, 2026 in Language Learning

Council Member Nithya Raman Enhances Spanish Fluency

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Is it important for local elected officials to speak the primary languages of their constituents?

Los Angeles City Council member and mayoral candidate Nithya Raman is incorporating Spanish into her campaign efforts. She aims to improve communication with her constituents and gain deeper insight into the experience of navigating bureaucratic systems.

Why it matters

By engaging with the city's diverse linguistic landscape, Raman seeks to better represent a population where a majority live in non-English households. This effort aligns with her professional focus on ensuring government accessibility for all residents.

Approximately 46% of the population in Los Angeles is Latino, while 56% of all residents live in households where a language other than English is primarily spoken. Nithya Raman, who has lived in the city for 13 years, holds these demographics as central to her outreach strategy.

The players

Nithya Raman

Nithya Raman is a member of the Los Angeles City Council who is currently running for mayor.

The details

Raman utilizes a Latino outreach senior director to rehearse her Spanish statements and maintains her practice by reading bilingual books and streaming Spanish language podcasts. Her commitment to language learning follows her 2022 co-authored motion which successfully introduced live Spanish translation services at city council committee meetings.

1878: Bernard Cohn served as mayor for two weeks.
1930s: Frank Shaw served as mayor.
2020: Raman joined the city council.
2022: Raman co-authored a motion for Spanish translation services.
October 2026: Raman participated in an interview at Univision.

Culture Shift

This focus on bilingualism reflects a broader societal shift toward prioritizing government accessibility in cities with high linguistic diversity. It follows the pattern set by the 2022 motion for Spanish translation services at city council committee meetings which established a precedent for inclusive local governance.

For residents in non-English households, this shift signifies a move toward more direct communication from mayoral leadership. It may also influence how constituents interact with city services if future administration policies prioritize multilingual bureaucratic support.

The takeaway

Language acquisition can serve as a functional tool for public officials seeking to bridge gaps in bureaucratic communication. Residents may find that politicians who invest in learning local languages are better positioned to understand the lived experiences of diverse community members.