This single mom is squeezed by LA’s cost of living. Now she’s running for mayor.

December 11, 2025

Rae Huang, a 43-year-old affordable housing advocate and ordained Presbyterian minister, has announced her progressive candidacy for Los Angeles mayor, challenging incumbent Karen Bass from the left. The single mother of two, who would be LA's first Asian-American woman mayor if elected, is running on a platform of affordability issues including free public transit, government-owned social housing, a nonprofit public bank, and expanded childcare access. Drawing from her experience nearly losing her home as a single parent, Huang has spent six years as deputy director of Housing Now California, helping pass tenant protection legislation and advocating against homelessness criminalization.

Who is affected

Rae Huang (candidate)
Karen Bass (incumbent LA mayor being challenged)
Single mothers and families struggling with housing affordability in LA
LA's Asian-American community (11.7% of population)
Unhoused residents of Los Angeles
Tenants and renters in LA
Over 1.15 million K-12 and college students receiving free transit through GoPass Program
Mom-and-pop landlords and property owners
Affordable housing advocates and activists
Members of Democratic Socialists of America LA chapter
Huang's supporters and over 200 campaign volunteers

What action is being taken

Huang is running a grassroots campaign without corporate donations
Huang is building a volunteer coalition (over 200 volunteers have signed up)
Huang is criticizing Bass's Inside Safe program for inadequate case management
Bass is implementing the Inside Safe program to move unhoused people into temporary housing
Bass is streamlining approvals for affordable housing units through executive orders
Bass is providing free transit to eligible students through the GoPass Program
DSA-LA members are phone banking for city council candidates in Districts 9 and 11

Why it matters

This race represents a significant progressive challenge to mainstream Democratic leadership in one of America's largest cities, centering affordability and housing crises that affect millions of Angelenos. Huang's candidacy reflects broader national trends of left-wing populist movements gaining momentum following similar victories like Zohran Mamdani's in New York City, potentially reshaping Democratic Party politics around economic justice issues. The outcome will determine LA's approach to critical issues including homelessness (where street homelessness has declined 17% but encampments persist), housing affordability, public transportation access, and whether more aggressive social housing models can gain political traction. The race also has historic significance as it pits LA's first woman mayor against a candidate who would be the city's first Asian-American woman mayor, highlighting questions of representation and progressive governance in an ethnically diverse metropolis.

What's next

The June primaries are ahead where Huang will face Bass
Huang needs to secure major endorsements from unions or political organizations
Huang must build name recognition beyond her current 5,000 Instagram followers to reach the 500,000 voters needed
The campaign will continue elevating cost-of-living issues in the mayoral race

Read full article from source: The 19th