POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS
UNITE HERE Local 11 members fight for policies that benefit working families and immigrants, and for politicians who stand with our values. UNITE HERE Local 11 and our allies not only knock on hundreds of thousands of voters’ doors in each presidential election, we also activate voters for key legislative and city races and state propositions across California and Arizona.
Local 11 members are the cooks and servers, dishwashers and room attendants, baristas and cashiers who take the time to look a voter in the eye and ask them what kind of world they want to live in. We bring the same energy and drive to every election that we do to winning life-changing improvements in our working lives, and that energy affects outcomes. During the global pandemic of 2020, Local 11 ran the largest single canvass in Arizona, winning the state for for Joe Biden and Senator Mark Kelly, and helped deliver victory in the runoff election for Georgia senators Jon Osoff and Rafael Warnock.
In 2024, UNITE HERE Local 11 and our allies at Worker Power knocked on 1.3 million voters’ doors and had more than 250,000 conversations with voters. Local 11 members look forward to making the difference in upcoming local elections through to the 2026 midterms, and to remaining on the forefront in the fight for American democracy in 2028.
WEHO TIMES: UNITE HERE Local 11 Endorses Byers, Krieger, Post, and Cottrell for West Hollywood City Council – Reject Block and Duran
“Councilmember Chelsea Byers made affordability a centerpiece of her term on Council and has Mayor,” reads a statement. “She is a strong supporter of renter protections and is a proponent of West Hollywood’s nationally celebrated minimum wage law. She has the endorsement of the both the California Working Families Party and the Los Angeles County Democratic Party.”
Local 11 joined the California Working Families Party in endorsing Helen Krieger and Stephen Post for City Council. Local 11 also joined with the Los Angeles County Democratic Party in endorsing Jonathan Cottrell. Krieger also won the support of the LA County Democratic Party. “The UNITE HERE, WFP, and LACDP endorsements make clear that these four candidates are the progressive choices for West Hollywood City Council,” the Union said.
SMDP: Hotel union endorses four candidates for three open spots on the City Council
The hospitality workers union UNITE HERE Local 11 is urging voters to support four candidates for Santa Monica City Council ahead of November’s election — Mayor Caroline Torosis, Rent Control Board member Danny Ivanov, Brett Morrow and Doug Trussler — while explicitly opposing two others, Lana Negrete and Phil Brock.
Local 11 Endorses Nithya Raman for Mayor of Los Angeles
“Who is Los Angeles going to work for? We need a mayor who will stand with the working people who keep this city running and who isn’t afraid to take on powerful corporate interests when they threaten our communities. Nithya Raman will fight alongside our members to protect working families, enforce our laws, preserve our housing, and hold corporations like Airbnb accountable when they take desperately needed homes off the market,” said Ada Briceño, co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11.
TORCHED: Hot labor summer games
A better pre-Labor Day press conference couldn’t have been scripted. On Tuesday, Unite Here Local 11, one of the most powerful unions in the city, endorsed Nithya Raman for mayor. “Our members know how to fight,” said Unite Here co-president Kurt Petersen, as he stood on a Koreatown corner. “And when you’re in a fight, you remember who showed up. Nithya Raman showed up.”
PRESS RELEASE: UNITE HERE Local 11 Endorses Nithya Raman for L.A. Mayor, Calling for a City That Workers Can Afford to Live
Brenda Mendoza, Laundry attendant at the JW Marriott L.A Live, member of UNITE HERE Local 11 said, “For 16 years, I have worked at the JW Marriott in Downtown Los Angeles, but I can no longer afford to live in the city where I was born, raised, and work. I was priced out of Koreatown and now live hours away in Apple Valley. I wake up at 2:30 in the morning, spend as much as four hours a day driving my family and myself to work, and sometimes get only three hours of sleep. I’ve watched more and more of my coworkers get pushed out of Los Angeles to Victorville, Lancaster, Bakersfield, and even farther away. Working people should be able to afford to live in the city we keep running every day. Nithya Raman has stood with workers like me on our picket lines, and I believe she will fight for us as mayor. I’m ready to fight for her, too, and help get Los Angeles out to vote. ¡Vamos con Nithya!”
The union says Nithya Raman will enforce the city’s laws on behalf of working people, not corporate landlords and donors, starting with housing. Los Angeles has failed to enforce its existing short term rental regulations and ensure working people can afford to live in the communities where they work.
“Our members understand the stakes better than most. They clean the rooms, cook the food, serve the guests, and welcome millions of visitors who come to Los Angeles every year. Our members are the people who help make Los Angeles a world-class destination—and they deserve to be able to afford to live in the city they help make thrive.
That’s what this election is about: Who is Los Angeles going to work for? We need a mayor who will stand with the working people who keep this city running and who isn’t afraid to take on powerful corporate interests when they threaten our communities. Nithya Raman will fight alongside our members to protect working families, enforce our laws, preserve our housing, and hold corporations like Airbnb accountable when they take desperately needed homes off the market,” said Ada Briceño, co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11.
Nithya Raman, candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, said, “UNITE HERE Local 11 members make Los Angeles’s hospitality industry run, and they should be able to afford to live in the city that depends on their labor. I am deeply honored to have their endorsement and proud of the work we have already done together. Local 11 knows how to take on powerful corporations and win. As mayor, I look forward to taking our collective fight citywide: building the housing we need, creating good union jobs, and making City Hall answer to the people who live and work here instead of the corporations trying to buy influence over it.”
According to Better Neighbors LA’s 2026 Revenue/Housing Report, more than half of Los Angeles’ short-term rental market is noncompliant with city regulations. The organization estimates that the city could collect approximately $47 million per month in fines through enforcement of existing short-term rental law and would bring 1,000’s of units back into homes for residents.
Nithya Raman will stand up to the billionaire class and fight for housing as Airbnb has emerged as a major political spender in Los Angeles, pouring more than $19 million into political committees and efforts supporting candidates for office while pushing City Hall for more lenient short-term rental regulations, spending aimed at using the Olympics to further erode housing for Angelenos rather than protect it.
UNITE HERE Local 11 announced it was prepared to mobilize its army of members into the field on behalf of Nithya Raman. During the primary election, the union’s members and volunteers knocked on more than 300,000 doors, the largest ground operation in the state, making Local 11’s endorsement one of the most sought-after in city politics.
Standing for equitable health care with LA County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell
Local 11 members and staff stood alongside Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell to support an independent review of the formula that distributes Measure B funds to area hospitals. Recent federal funding cuts and new policies that affect programs like Medi-Cal could force 1.1 million LA County residents to lose health coverage. The independent study would ensure the funds are put to their best and most equitable use.
California Primary Victories!
We are proud to support and congratulate these amazing candidates in winning their primary election! Keep an eye out for our full voter guide for the November election.
Tom Steyer—Alongside SoFi Stadium Workers—Calls for ICE Out of FIFA World Cup Alongside SoFi Stadium Workers
With less than a month away from the FIFA World Cup, the cooks, dishwashers, bartenders, who cook the food and make the drinks for Sofi Stadium held a press conference with Gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer ahead of negotiations.
SUPPORTING THE TEACHERS IN THEIR CONTRACT FIGHT
Members of Local 11 joined their brothers and sisters from UTLA to demonstrate our support for their contract fight. More than 30,000 people rallied at Grand Park in DTLA, calling on LAUSD to accept a fair contract for teachers, or they will go out on strike on April 14. Also—with so many people around us—we took the opportunity to collect signatures for the Overpaid CEOs initiative. When we fight together, we win!
LOCAL 11 GOES TO THE CA DEMOCRATIC PARTY CONVENTION