Los Angeles’ top cop isn’t packing up just yet. 

LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell says he’s “hopeful” he can hang on under Mayor-elect Nithya Raman, even after she campaigned on giving him the boot, according to NBCLA.

The embattled chief struck an optimistic tone in his first interview since the Nov. 3 election, revealing that Raman reached out for a phone conversation after defeating his political ally, former Mayor Karen Bass.

“We had a conversation and it was upbeat,” McDonnell told the outlet. “It was positive and we talked about mutual goals, and so I am hopeful.”

Asked whether the incoming mayor had requested his resignation, McDonnell offered a blunt, one-word answer: “No.”

The cordial call marks a striking shift in tone after a bruising campaign that turned McDonnell’s future into a political flashpoint. But a friendly conversation alone doesn’t settle whether Raman will follow through on her pledge to replace him.

McDonnell suggested the realities of governing could produce a different dynamic than the campaign trail.

“The people have spoken and as part of the democratic process,” he said. “People say a lot of things during campaigns. The objective is different than it is once you get into the seat.”

Raman’s election victory also doesn’t give her a unilateral power to fire the chief.

Under the city charter, the five-member Board of Police Commissioners can remove McDonnell before his term expires. The City Council has a separate route to oust him, requiring a two-thirds vote to initiate proceedings and another two-thirds vote after a public hearing. 

That leaves McDonnell’s relationship with the civilian oversight panel under fresh scrutiny as the city prepares for a new administration.

“You know, I won’t speculate as to their feelings, but my thoughts are that we’ve had a very good relationship,” he told NBCLA.

McDonnell also defended his stewardship by pointing to falling crime and what he described as stronger department morale. Asked whether officers were looking to leave under Raman, he said they were taking a wait-and-see approach while maintaining his own optimism.

The conciliatory remarks follow a far more combative stretch before Election Day, when Raman accused the LAPD of sharing information with federal immigration authorities and undermining immigrant communities’ trust.

“There have been reports, credible reports, that LAPD has actually shared information with ICE, including information from our fingerprint databases and through Flock cameras,” Raman previously told ABC7.

McDonnell rejected those allegations, saying his officers do not conduct immigration enforcement.

“We work very closely with all of our federal partners, but we don’t work with any of them on immigration enforcement. It’s as easy as that,” he told the outlet.

He also defended the department’s handling of arrest fingerprints, explaining that they are sent to the California Department of Justice and subsequently shared with a national federal database.

Bass stood behind her chief during the campaign and warned that replacing him ahead of the 2028 Olympics could create a difficult leadership transition before the massive international event.

Now, with Raman headed for the mayor’s office, McDonnell is making the case that they can work together.

Whether that optimism buys him more time in command remains an open question.