Karen Bass made history four years ago, beating real estate developer Rick Caruso by about 10 percentage points and becoming the first woman elected as Los Angeles mayor.
This time around, the 72-year-old incumbent is in an even tougher fight, facing a field of 13 challengers, four of whom have emerged as serious rivals in polling and fundraising.
Councilmember Nithya Raman, who endorsed Bass only to later run against her, is heavily backed by entertainment industry workers, the pro-housing YIMBY (Yes in My Backyard) movement and many in the local chapter of Democratic Socialists of America…