Nitya Raman Set to Become Los Angeles First Indian-American Mayor Next Month
Nitya Raman will be sworn in as Los Angeles first Indian-American mayor in December, joining New Yorks Joran Mamdani.
Los Angeles, November 12 (Daily Kiran) : Nitya Raman, an Indian-American, is poised to take office as the mayor of Los Angeles next month. Her inauguration will mark a significant milestone, as it places leadership of two of America’s largest cities in the hands of individuals of Indian descent. Raman will join Joran Mamdani, the mayor of New York City, in a historic representation of Indian immigrants in local governance.
Los Angeles and New York combined have a population of approximately 12.5 million people, with 8.6 million residing in New York and 3.9 million in Los Angeles. Mamdani, who assumed office on January 1, will be joined by Raman, who is currently the mayor-elect and will officially begin her term on December 14. Until the transition, Karen Bass will continue to serve as the mayor of Los Angeles.
Raman was born in Kerala and moved to the United States at the age of six. Mamdani was born in Kampala, Uganda, to filmmaker Mira Nair and academic Mahmood Mamdani. Although of Indian heritage, he was not born in India.
The representation of the Indian community is not limited to these coastal cities. For instance, Aftab Pureval in Cincinnati is completing his second term as the city’s first Asian-American mayor, having been elected in 2021. His current term extends until January 2030.
In Richmond, Virginia, Danny Avula, who moved to the U.S. with his parents in 1979, is leading as the 81st mayor of the state capital since January 1, 2025. In California’s Bay Area, Raj Salwan became Fremont’s first Indian-American elected mayor in December 2024.
Several Indian-American mayors also serve in New Jersey, including Josh from Edison, Pulkit Desai from Parsippany-Troy Hills, Hemant Marathe from West Windsor, and Neena Singh from Montgomery. Their backgrounds span various professions and public service fields. Desai, who was born in India and raised in the U.S., is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. Singh began her third term as Montgomery’s mayor in January.
Other notable Indian-American mayors include Gurnjeet Singh from Norwich, Connecticut, and Sangeeta Raipati from Moline, Illinois. In Texas, Mihir “Mark” Pankaj serves as the mayor of Paris, while Saji P. George leads Sunnyvale, a city distinct from its namesake in California.
Former Indian-American mayors include Arun Jhaveri from Burien, Washington, Upendra Chivukula from Franklin Township, New Jersey, and Satish Hiremath from Oro Valley, Arizona. Women have also made their mark in smaller municipalities; Vini Samuel, born in Kerala, was elected mayor of Montesano, Washington, in 2015 and served until 2023.
