November 3 is an important date in American politics. The 2026 US midterm elections are under way, and Los Angeles voters are choosing their next mayor. Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman is challenging the city’s incumbent mayor, Karen Bass, 73, who is the first Black woman to ever hold that position. If Raman emerges victorious, the India-born politician will also make history as the first South Asian woman to serve as the city’s mayor.
Los Angeles incumbent Mayor Karen Bass (left) and City Council member Nithya Raman face off in a mayoral debate in October. Photo: TNS
Los Angeles incumbent Mayor Karen Bass (left) and City Council member Nithya Raman face off in a mayoral debate in October. Photo: TNS
The 45-year-old Democrat previously endorsed Bass, who is also a Democrat, for another four-year term, but launched her own mayoral campaign in February this year.
“If you’re as frustrated by the broken status quo as I am, I hope you’ll join our movement to build a city that works for everyone,” she wrote in an X post in June.
Raman, who came to the US at a young age and went on to graduate from Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is married to five-time Emmy-nominated screenwriter and producer Vali Chandrasekaran, who could become Los Angeles’ first gentleman.
Here’s everything you need to know about Vali Chandrasekaran.
What is Vali Chandrasekaran’s background?
A childhood photo of Vali Chandrasekaran. Photo: @therealvali/X
A childhood photo of Vali Chandrasekaran. Photo: @therealvali/X
Vali Chandrasekaran, 45, was born to Indian immigrants in America and grew up in Pennsylvania, per the Los Angeles Times. He attended Harvard University for his undergraduate studies and joined the university’s humour magazine, The Harvard Lampoon. The publication was supposedly the reason he applied to Harvard in the first place, as it was known to have launched several Hollywood careers.
Following a long-standing pranking tradition, Chandrasekaran once set out to steal the president’s chair from the office of the magazine’s rival publication, The Harvard Crimson. He entered the wrong office and was arrested by the Cambridge Police Department.
What is Vali Chandrasekaran known for?
Nithya Raman and Vali Chandrasekaran met in 1999 when they were studying at Harvard University. Photo: @therealvali/x.com
Nithya Raman and Vali Chandrasekaran met in 1999 when they were studying at Harvard University. Photo: @therealvali/x.com
Chandrasekaran moved to Los Angeles to pursue his Hollywood dreams, but initially worked as a consultant for Boston Consulting Group, the Los Angeles Times reported. The spec scripts he wrote during this time landed him an agent, and he eventually became a writer and co-producer on the sitcom My Name Is Earl.
Today, Chandrasekaran is best known for writing and executive-producing hit comedy shows like Modern Family, 30 Rock and The Four Seasons. He co-authored the 2008 book The Ridiculous Race: 26,000 Miles, 2 Guides, 1 Globe, No Airplanes with Harvard Lampoon alum Steve Hely and created the Eisner Award-nominated graphic novel Genius Animals? (2020), illustrated by Jun-Pierre Shiozawa.
His relationship with Nithya Raman
In 2021, Vali Chandrasekaran shared a photo from his wedding day and joked in the caption: “Nithya and I caught in a casual moment, 11 years ago today.” Photo: @therealvali/Instagram
In 2021, Vali Chandrasekaran shared a photo from his wedding day and joked in the caption: “Nithya and I caught in a casual moment, 11 years ago today.” Photo: @therealvali/Instagram
According to the Los Angeles Times, Nithya Raman and Vali Chandrasekaran met as Harvard students in 1999. They ended their relationship while in university but got back together after graduation and tied the knot in 2010.
They are parents to 10-year-old twins, son Karna and daughter Kaveri, and live in Silver Lake.
Date: November 6th, 2026 10:55 AM Author: Ass Sunstein
Following a long-standing pranking tradition, Chandrasekaran once set out to steal the president’s chair from the office of the magazine’s rival publication, The Harvard Crimson. He entered the wrong office and was arrested by the Cambridge Police Department.