Los Angeles business groups Karen Bass endorsement highlights a growing political alignment as business leaders organize to counter labor influence and shape upcoming elections.
Los Angeles business groups are uniting behind Mayor Karen Bass. But is Nithya Raman too progressive for them?
It increasingly appears so.
A broad coalition of Los Angeles business organizations is endorsing Bass for reelection, signaling that the city’s political establishment is consolidating around its embattled incumbent.
But their ambitions go beyond the mayoral race. For the first time, the city’s traditionally fragmented business community is coordinating its political strategy. Collectively, these groups plan to spend millions of dollars this year on key contests, including two City Council races and the city controller election. Their goal is to expand their influence and serve as a stronger counterweight to Los Angeles’s powerful labor unions.
“We were operating independently but often arriving at similar conclusions,” said Stuart Waldman, president of the Valley Industry & Commerce Association. “When the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor meets, everyone is in the room. We wanted to demonstrate that we, too, are coordinated and working together.”
Meanwhile, Raman—who represents District 4 and is considered a potential 2026 mayoral candidate—has built her platform around strengthening workers’ rights and supporting collective action. A self-described democratic socialist, she has earned backing from influential unions such as UNITE HERE Local 11, which represents hotel and restaurant workers.
Raman has consistently advocated for a more equitable economy and has been deeply engaged in labor movements.
One major flashpoint was last year’s battle over a proposed $30 minimum wage for hospitality workers. The measure, driven by labor groups and strongly opposed by businesses, became a turning point. After their lobbying efforts failed, many business leaders—even those outside the tourism sector—concluded they would need to exert greater political influence in elections to maintain their footing at City Hall.
“Industries that weren’t directly affected looked at the proposal and wondered, ‘Are we next?’” said Nella McOsker, president of the Central City Association, which represents downtown business interests.
Although Raman was absent from the final 2025 vote on the tourism wage measure, she had previously supported it by calling for impact studies and emphasizing the connection between housing affordability and wages.
Business support for Bass may seem surprising given their frustration over the hospitality wage increase—which she backed—and broader concerns about city governance.
However, Maria Salinas, president of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, said Bass and her administration have remained engaged and willing to facilitate dialogue. She also credited the mayor for meeting with business leaders immediately after defeating their preferred candidate, Rick Caruso, in the 2022 election.
Bass has also earned support for prioritizing homelessness, expanding police staffing, and approving a $2.62 billion expansion of the city’s convention center—issues that align business and labor interests.
“There’s definitely room for improvement,” said Areen Ibranossian, a veteran City Hall strategist involved with several business groups. “But for a mayor with relatively limited experience in city government, delivering on these critical priorities makes it difficult not to support her.”
Still, this backing does not mean an easy path forward. Several of the same business groups supporting Bass—including the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, BizFed, and the Building Owners and Managers Association of Greater Los Angeles—are also pursuing a ballot initiative to repeal the city’s gross receipts tax, a move that could reduce municipal revenue by up to $800 million.
LA Race Heats Up: No Endorsement for Raman, Warning Signs for Bass
(With information from Politico)
