The numbers Mayor Karen Bass and Councilwoman Nithya Raman threw at each other on Wednesday, Aug. 19, in Sherman Oaks tell a sharper story than the personal jabs: $400 million spent on homelessness, 41% of participants back on the streets, 42,000 housing units approved but only 6,000 under construction, and 40,000-plus entertainment jobs gone.

As we reported, the 90-minute debate at the Sherman Oaks East Valley Adult Center was the candidates' first face-to-face matchup before the Nov. 3 runoff. But the policy figures each deployed deserve a closer look.

Inside Safe: Raman claims $400 million, 41% return rate

Raman's sharpest attack targeted Bass's signature homelessness program. She cited a $400 million price tag for Inside Safe and called for audits Bass has refused, according to the Eastsider. A Los Angeles Times analysis, as reported by the Eastsider, found that about 41% of participants returned to homelessness in the program's nearly four years of operation. The average stay in an Inside Safe facility is now close to a year, and only about one in four participants has moved into permanent housing, according to the LA Times voter guide.

Bass countered that the 49% unsheltered reduction Raman claims in her Fourth Council District happened because of Inside Safe. She argued the city needs to take full control of the homelessness system away from the fragmented structure shared with LA County and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, saying city control would allow direct contracts with health clinics for drug treatment and mental health care.

The backdrop: the 2026 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, released July 27, showed homelessness in the city rose 3.4% to 45,194 people, with unsheltered numbers climbing 7.9% to 29,115. That reversed two consecutive years of declines.

Housing: 42,000 approved, 6,000 built

Bass touted Executive Directive 1 as fast-tracking 42,000 housing units. Raman agreed the directive helped streamline approvals but noted only about 6,000 units, roughly 14%, are actually under construction. The LA Times voter guide confirmed that gap.

On SB 79, the state law promoting denser development near transit, the two split. Bass opposed it, arguing Sacramento was forcing building plans on single-family neighborhoods. Raman supports a limited version with unit and height caps she helped craft on the City Council.

Film jobs and fiscal fights

Raman charged that 40,000 film jobs vanished under Bass's watch. Federal labor data reported by CNBC in April put the loss at over 40,000 entertainment jobs countywide since 2022; the LA Times reported an even steeper figure of 57,000 jobs lost in four years. Film shoot days have fallen nearly 50% since 2019.

Both candidates pledged to push Sacramento for a larger film tax credit to compete with Georgia and New Jersey. Bass pointed to her appointment of a local film czar. Bass then turned the attack back on Raman, noting the councilwoman has been at City Hall twice as long and questioning where she was while jobs disappeared.

On policing, Raman defended her vote against the 2023 LAPD pay raise. "This is about fiscal management of our public tax dollars," she said. "This contract gave raises to this PD that our city couldn't afford, and we suffered as a result." She argued the deal contributed to a $1 billion city deficit that cut funding for streetlights, sidewalks and sanitation.

Raman also said she would replace LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell over his response to ICE raids if elected.

No additional debates have been announced. The runoff is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Bass finished the June primary with 34.3% of the vote to Raman's 29%. A UC Berkeley poll cited by LAmag placed Raman 4 points ahead of Bass before the debate.