A New Mayor, A New Contracting Landscape: What Los Angeles Contractors Should Watch

On November 5, 2026, Mayor Karen Bass conceded the Los Angeles mayoral election to Councilmember Nithya Raman, clearing the way for a new administration at City Hall. The transition will bring more than a change in leadership. For companies that contract with the City, a new mayoral administration can affect both which projects the City prioritizes and how contracts make their way through the approval process.

Depending on Mayor-elect Raman’s focus, those changes could begin quickly.

The Rules of the Road May Change

Mayors exercise significant influence over City contracting through executive directives, appointments and the Mayoral review process. One immediate question will be whether the incoming administration retains, modifies or replaces contracting directives issued by Mayor Karen Bass.

A prime example is Executive Directive No. 15, issued by Bass in September 2025 to streamline review of matters involving the City's three proprietary departments: Los Angeles World Airports, the Port of Los Angeles and the Department of Water and Power. The directive replaced a 20-year-old policy and generally requires the Mayor's Office to complete its review of qualifying proprietary department matters within 15 business days. It also narrowed the matters requiring pre-Board mayoral review to those requiring City Council approval.

That matters because mayoral review can affect how quickly a contract moves from a proprietary department's Board of Commissioners to City Council. A new administration could retain that streamlined approach, revise it or establish a different review structure. New deputy mayors and senior staff may also bring different processes and expectations for departments seeking approval.

Contracting Priorities May Shift Too

Another significant change may be what Los Angeles chooses to buy.

Mayoral priorities help drive budgets, capital programs and departmental initiatives, which in turn create contracting opportunities. Previous administrations have emphasized priorities ranging from sustainability and clean energy to homelessness, transportation and major infrastructure. Raman campaigned heavily on housing, affordability and changes to City government, suggesting contractors should closely watch how those priorities translate into budgets and departmental initiatives after she takes office.

At the same time, Los Angeles' contracting structure itself is changing. Charter Amendment LA is currently poised to pass and would, among other things, establish a capital infrastructure plan, modify certain rules relating to competitive bidding, and authorize the City Council to change or eliminate the Board of Public Works. If implemented, those changes could alter how a substantial portfolio of public work contracts is administered and approved.

What Contractors Should Be Watching

For businesses contracting with Los Angeles, the transition bears watching on three fronts: personnel, process and priorities. Who occupies key deputy mayor and department leadership positions? Which executive directives survive the transition? Where does the new administration direct the City's capital and programmatic spending?

The answers will shape both the pipeline of contracting opportunities and the path those contracts take through City Hall. Companies doing business with Los Angeles should begin tracking those changes now.