Oct 25, 2026 · 1h 29m
Raman defends a measurable reset for Los Angeles
WTF Happened To Los Angeles - Graham Stephan Confronts Nithya Raman
The conversation tests whether housing production, targeted homelessness services, and transparent spending can rebuild trust in city government.
- 1Nithya Raman links homelessness to lost affordable housing while acknowledging mental illness and substance use also shape outcomes.
- 2The debate pits rent control and public subsidies against faster private construction, landlord protections, and stronger investment incentives.
- 3Raman argues that police staffing and homelessness spending should follow measurable needs, outcomes, and appropriate responder deployment.
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Raman’s most concrete proposal is to match emergency calls with the right responder, including unarmed mental-health teams for appropriate cases.
The brief
Nithya Raman joins Graham Stephan and Jack Selby for an unusually adversarial discussion of Los Angeles, where housing costs, homelessness, taxes, and public safety collide.
Raman argues that Los Angeles needs far more housing and faster approvals, while the hosts press her on rent control, landlord protections, and whether policy discourages investment.
On homelessness, Raman favors time-limited rental subsidies, rigorous audits, and funding providers that move people indoors; the hosts question costs, recidivism, and weak oversight.
The conversation broadens to mental-health care and policing, with Raman proposing specialized outreach and unarmed responders while reserving armed officers for calls that require them.
The episode’s central test is political as much as practical: can transparent goals, spending reports, and measurable outcomes restore taxpayer trust before asking residents to pay more?
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