Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black withdrew his support for Los Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman and endorsed Mayor Karen Bass, citing what he called a missed campaign event, as voters headed to the polls Tuesday in a race polls show tied.
Black, who won an Academy Award for writing Milk, announced the switch Sunday in an Instagram video. He called both candidates exceptional but said the city needs experience and someone who shows up. “One of the candidates showed up as she promised, and the other did not,” he said.
Black said he hosted an October fundraiser for Raman at her request, and that she never arrived. In an Instagram comment, he alleged her staff gave false reasons for the absence, and said other former Raman supporters described similar experiences. He called her “not a dependable politician.” A Raman representative did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment, and the allegations remain unverified.
Black also tied his decision to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. He is married to Olympic diver Tom Daley, and he said a world-class Games depends on relationships and an understanding of the city.
The comments came in reply to actor Paul Scheer, who had voiced concern about Bass’s commitment to Hollywood. The final mayoral debate touched on film tax credits, an issue of weight to the entertainment industry.
The Bass campaign has hammered Raman with the label “No Show Nithya,” arguing she attended her council duties too little and is unprepared to run a city of four million people. Raman, a council member for the 4th District and the first Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidate elected to the council, has pressed her own case on homelessness, tenant protections and what she calls a need for change. The Los Angeles chapter of the DSA and a major labor union have endorsed her.
Black joins Jane Fonda, Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Anderson and Yvette Nicole Brown in backing Bass.The race is close. A final UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times put Bass and Raman at 40% each among likely voters, with 19% undecided. A September survey had shown Raman ahead 39% to 28%. In the June primary, Bass took 34.3%, Raman 29.0% and reality-TV figure Spencer Pratt 25.5%.
