LOS ANGELES, CA — The influential Unite Here Local 11 labor union endorsed City Councilwoman Nithya Raman in the race for Los Angeles mayor Tuesday, one day after incumbent Karen Bass accused her opponent of missing thousands of votes during her time on the council.
"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," Unite Here Local 11 co-president Ada Briceño said in a statement. "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."
The union represents more than 32,000 hospitality workers in Southern California and Arizona.
"Unite Here Local 11 members make Los Angeles' hospitality industry run, and they should be able to afford to live in the city that depends on their labor," Raman said. "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."
Bass on Monday formally announced the creation of a website at NoShowNithya.com, outlining what the mayor said were nearly 3,000 votes that Raman has missed during her time on the City Council.
"If Angelenos can't trust her to show up for work, we sure as hell shouldn't give her a promotion to be our next mayor," Bass campaign spokesman Alex Stack said in a statement.
The website claims Raman missed the second-most meetings among council members between January 20205 and June 2026, and missed votes on issues such as banning homeless encampments near schools and supporting the film and television industries.
Raman's campaign called the allegations a "desperate" attack, and said it was "ironic coming from a mayor who was missing during our city's most devastating emergencies."
City News Service
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