Los Angeles mayoral hopeful Nithya Raman was left scrambling when asked to name a police chief she admires — an awkward moment for the councilwoman already facing blowback over her praise of controversial former LAPD Chief Daryl Gates.

Asked by CNN’s Elex Michaelson to name a police chief she really respects or admires, Raman came up empty.

“I don’t know…I don’t know.”

The uncomfortable exchange comes after Raman called Gates, the former LAPD chief whose legacy has drawn fierce criticism, the “gold standard” for handling immigration enforcement during a recent debate.

Now she’s walking back the remark, insisting she never meant to heap praise on the controversial former top cop.

“It was a mistake to reference his name at all. I was trying to make a point and I fumbled that point. That point was not to praise Daryl Gates in any shape or form. I sincerely apologize for mentioning his name. I know it causes real pain for so many people across Los Angeles and I shouldn’t have said it.”

Raman’s original remark was: “This city used to be the gold standard in terms of noncooperation with immigration enforcement years ago, under the era of Daryl Gates.”

She later said she was referring to Special Order 40, a policy Gates signed in 1979 that bars LAPD officers from stopping or questioning people solely to determine their immigration status.

Raman said the policy began under former Mayor Tom Bradley and laid the groundwork for the Sanctuary City Ordinance she later authored.

But the Gates name-drop sparked backlash because his tenure is associated with police brutality, the militarization of the LAPD, Operation Hammer sweeps and the aggressive policing culture linked to the 1991 beating of Rodney King.

Mayor Karen Bass was among those who slammed Raman’s comments, questioning whether she understood the city’s history.

“To mention Daryl Gates and to tie his name with gold standard, she obviously does not know the history of the city. She most certainly does not know the history of Black and brown Angelenos or those words would’ve never come out of her mouth.”

The scrutiny comes as Raman has said she wants to fire current LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell — without publicly naming anyone she would put in his place.

Michaelson said additional portions of his interview with Raman would air on his nightly CNN show, The Story Is with Elex Michaelson.