Exclusive | Nithya Raman eyes City Hall shake-up as former LA Mayor Eric Garcetti veterans emerge in new administration

Los Angeles Mayor-elect Nithya Raman is tapping veteran City Hall insiders and former aides to ex-Mayor Eric Garcetti to help build her administration, despite campaigning on a promise to shake up the mayor’s office.

Multiple sources told the California Post that Rick Cole, a former Garcetti deputy mayor who later served under City Controller Kenneth Mejia, is expected to play a leading role in Raman’s transition team. 

Cole, a longtime City Hall veteran and former deputy mayor under Garcetti, could bring both experience and controversy to Raman’s administration.

The outspoken government reformer resigned as Santa Monica city manager in April 2020 amid a massive budget crisis, mounting criticism of proposed spending cuts and growing tensions with public employee unions.

More than 2,800 people signed a petition demanding his removal as the city confronted a projected $226 million budget shortfall through June 2021.

Cole also briefly served as a senior adviser to DSA-backed Mejia and as city manager of Ventura and Pasadena. He built a reputation as an aggressive government reformer who frequently clashed with elected officials and city employees over spending, management and efforts to overhaul local government.

More recently, Cole served as an unpaid adviser to Raman’s mayoral campaign and publicly blasted the Bass administration over its handling of homelessness spending and oversight.

Cole is expected to work alongside Andrea Conant, Raman’s current City Council chief of staff and a former public relations executive with nearly two decades of experience working with developers, government agencies and community organizations.

Before joining Raman’s office in 2021, Conant was a vice president at public affairs firm Consensus Inc., where she worked on major projects including the LAX Master Plan and Metro’s Gold Line extension.

Her hiring sparked controversy because she had represented the developer behind the proposed Mirabel luxury development on Wilshire Boulevard in Raman’s council district.

Neighborhood opponents questioned the potential conflict while Raman’s office defended the appointment, maintaining Conant had no continuing financial interest in the project and would not make planning decisions involving it.

Another influential figure is Jeff Millman, Raman’s campaign manager, a veteran Democratic strategist who also served as a Garcetti adviser.

Millman worked on Garcetti’s communications and political strategy and served as chief communications officer for Los Angeles’ successful bid to host the 2028 Olympics.

He also managed former Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s 2018 reelection campaign and worked on Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna’s successful campaign.

It remains unclear whether Millman will accept a permanent administration position.

Another Garcetti veteran already inside Raman’s operation is Dae Levine, who previously served as the former mayor’s communications director.

Levine now serves as Raman’s deputy chief of staff for policy and communications, helping oversee policy priorities and public messaging.

Other senior aides include Mashael Majid, deputy chief of staff for planning, housing and community development; communications director Stella Stahl; and homelessness services director Patrick Siggins.

None has been publicly confirmed for a permanent mayoral appointment.

Raman has just 39 days before taking office on Dec. 14, when she will take the reins of America’s second-largest city.

The transition comes with an immediate financial challenge.

The city’s 2027 budget process is already underway, with departments scrambling to draft spending requests that must be submitted to the mayor’s office by the end of November.

The mayor has until January to review and revise those requests before presenting a proposed budget to the City Council by April 20.

With the city’s fiscal year beginning July 1, Raman will have roughly four months after taking office to craft her first budget while grappling with staffing shortages, soaring homelessness costs and competing demands for already strained city services.