Full Breakdown
Crosswalk Celebration Triggers Online Ridicule Amid Los Angeles Mayoral Race
8/29/2026, 2:25:02 AM
Crosswalk Project and Public Reaction
Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman announced the completion of a new pedestrian crossing at Sunset Drive and Bates Street in the Los Feliz neighborhood. The project, requested by the Los Feliz Neighborhood Council in late 2025, involved painting seven yellow stripes over a cracked roadway. Raman’s post highlighted the work as an effort to “make our streets safer.” Within hours, social-media users mocked the effort, noting that the pavement remained cracked and questioning why a basic maintenance task was framed as a major infrastructure achievement. The criticism intensified as Raman’s mayoral campaign against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass entered the final phase of the primary election.
Official Statements & Responses
She later clarified that the Los Angeles Department of Transportation had deemed the intersection safe and legal, and that her team secured a reassessment that allowed the project to be finished by August 10, timed for the start of the school year.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Coverage of the project’s timeline varies. Fox News reported that the crosswalk took nine months to complete, whereas Daily Mail stated the duration was eight months. Neither outlet provided details on the project’s cost, the specific city agency that performed the installation, or any safety improvements beyond the painted markings. The lack of this information leaves the full scope of the work unclear.
Verbatim Quotes
- “The Los Feliz Neighborhood Council alerted our office in late 2025 to the need for a crosswalk at Sunset Dr. and Bates St., which has just been completed,” — Angeles Councilmember Nithya Raman, incumbent democratic mayor
- “Nithya Raman’s big accomplishment is taking 9 months to paint 7 yellow stripes over a cracked street? How dumb do you have to be to post this?” — Spencer Pratt
- “Eight months to paint some yellow lines,” — Ben Shapiro, daily wire editor
