California politicians have message for Taylor Swift, Eras Tour amid new strikes

Several California politicians are urging Taylor Swift not to perform concerts in Los Angeles as a way to stand in solidarity with striking hotel workers.

Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis and dozens of state and local politicians signed an open letter urging Swift to postpone her concerts in the city, saying the region’s hotels stand to make tremendous profit from her tour.

Some properties are “doubling and tripling what they charge because you are coming,” they wrote.

The officials continued: “Hotel workers are fighting for their lives. They are fighting for a living wage. They have gone on strike. Now, they are asking for your support. Stand with hotel workers and postpone your concerts.”

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The letter also expresses many of the concerns of the striking housekeepers and other hotel workers, who say they cannot afford to live near their jobs. Others sleep in their cars amid rising costs and lagging pay.

According to Swift’s tour dates, she is scheduled to perform six sold-out shows at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles starting Thursday, Aug. 3.

Unite HERE Local 11, which represents some 30,000 hotel workers, is negotiating new contracts for better wages, improved health care benefits, and higher pension contributions after previous contracts expired last month at more than 60 hotels.

The expired contracts include properties owned by Marriott and Hilton.

Kounalakis, who is running for governor in 2026, told POLITICO that she is standing in solidarity with the striking workers.

“I stand with Unite HERE in their fight for a living wage,” she said. “And I hope we can use this moment to bring attention to the hardworking men and women who are the engine of our economy.”

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Kounalakis told the outlet she attended Swift’s Eras tour in Santa Clara, California.

California Assembly Majority Leader Issac Bryan, state senators Dave Min and Maria Elena Durazo, as well as mayors of several cities, signed the letter.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.