LA business groups unite behind Bass and switch up their playbook

For the first time, the city’s fragmented business interests are coordinating their political efforts.

Los Angeles City Hall. | Damian Dovarganes/AP

LOS ANGELES — An array of Los Angeles business groups are endorsing Mayor Karen Bass for reelection, yet another sign that the city’s political establishment is rallying around its embattled incumbent.

But they are not just looking to make their mark on the mayor’s race. For the first time, the city’s fragmented business community is coordinating its political efforts, collectively planning to spend seven figures in races this year, including for two City Council seats and the city controller. Their aim is to increase their cachet and act as a stronger counterweight to Los Angeles’ powerful labor unions.

“We were going at it alone, ending up in similar places,” said Stuart Waldman, president of the Valley Industry Commerce Association. “But when [the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor] meets, everybody’s in the room. We wanted to show that we are coordinated and we are working together.”

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