PRESS RELEASE: UNITE HERE Local 11 Endorses Nithya Raman for L.A. Mayor, Calling for a City That Workers Can Afford to Live
Los Angeles: The politically powerful labor union, UNITE HERE Local 11 announced its endorsement of the mayoral candidate Nithya Raman who they believe will stand with working families, protect affordable housing and put the needs of Angelenos ahead of powerful corporate interests like Airbnb.
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.
