A relative unknown is challenging Bass from the left. Could she gain traction?

Could L.A.’s Zohran Mamdani moment be here?

- BY NOAH GOLDBERG AND DAVID ZAHNISER

RONALDO BOLANOS L.A. Times RAE HUANG is an advocate for tenant rights.

It’s definitely a long shot.

But Rae Huang, a 43-year-old community organizer, minister and dues-paying member of the Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, is throwing her hat into the ring for mayor of L.A.

The virtually unknown candidate is the deputy director of Housing Now California, a coalition that fights displacement of tenants at the state and local levels.

Huang, who is planning a campaign launch Sunday, is shying away from comparisons to Mamdani, a democratic socialist who was elected mayor of New York City earlier this month. She has not been endorsed by DSA-LA, though she hopes to be. Nevertheless, she sees next year’s election as a “moment for change.”

“We are in a place in our country and in our political environment where folks feel stuck and afraid,” Huang said in an interview. “They feel like nothing is going to change, and the things that are changing are making things even worse.”

Huang, a Sawtelle resident, has never run for elected office. She faces an extremely uphill battle against Mayor Karen Bass, a veteran politician with close ties to the Democratic Party who has spent much of the year denouncing President Trump’s immigration crackdown in L.A.

Still, Huang could complicate Bass’ reelection bid by playing a spoiler role, pulling away left-of-center voters in a year when the incumbent is facing criticism over her handling of the Palisades fire, a struggling city budget and less-than-optimal public services.