LA City Council member Nithya Raman is up 11 points on incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in a new LA Times poll, a sign voters want city hall shaken up.

• The Paramount–Warner Brothers merger is a flashpoint, with studies pointing to 4,000-plus Hollywood job losses and news outlets bunching under one owner.
• Gavin Newsom pushed California's attorney general to settle rather than fight the deal in court, and he denies pressuring anyone.
• The merger settlement now looks locked in, so the fight shifts to making sure the promised money, movies, and jobs actually show up.
• Raman wants to cut red tape on film shoots and small businesses, and push Sacramento for tax credits that match Georgia and New Jersey.
• Homelessness spending is the other big issue, with a billion dollars in federal money and little visible progress citywide.

Outlook: The race looks competitive with many voters still undecided, and Raman's new DSA and union backing suggests a real shot at unseating Bass.