A final face-off in the L.A. mayoral race – Los Angeles Times

A final face-off in the L.A. mayoral race  Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and challenger Nithya Raman will be on the same stage Tuesday night for their final debate before the Nov. 3 election, but the two mayoral candidates are expected to come in with starkly different game plans. With recent polls showing Raman in the lead, the councilmember will likely try to avoid making any kind of flub during the in-studio debate hosted by NBC4 and Telemundo52 in Universal City. "A successful debate for Raman is one in which not very much happens," said Dan Schnur, a professor of politics at USC, UC Berkeley and Pepperdine. Raman floundered at the last NBC4/Telemundo debate during the mayoral primary, when Spencer Pratt was also on stage.

She got better marks after a debate with Bass before the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn. in August. Along with avoiding mistakes, Raman will need to paint a positive view of the city she hopes to lead, said Sara Sadhwani, a professor of politics at Pomona College. "She needs to able to spell out a vision for the city of Los Angeles and inspire confidence that she would be able to deliver on such a vision," she said. For Bass, it's a different task entirely. The mayor was the top vote-getter in the June 2 primary, but numerous several polls now show her trailing.