12/21/2025
Stuart Waldman, president of the Valley Industry & Commerce Assn., was among the diverse array of Bass supporters gathered on stage at Trade-Tech to voice their endorsements.
Waldman told The Times that he is supporting the mayor in his personal capacity, though VICA has not yet endorsed.
In 2022, Waldman and VICA supported Caruso, and Waldman spoke at some Caruso events.
He said he switched to Bass this time partly because of his unhappiness with the $30-minimum wage for airport and hotel workers passed by the City Council earlier this year. Businesses cannot move quickly enough to raise worker wages without laying off other workers, he said.
Waldman said that Bass arranged for him to meet with Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, who then introduced a motion that would phase in the minimum wage increase over a longer period. The current law brings the wage up to $30 by 2028, while Harris-Dawson wants the $30 minimum to start in 2030.
“Bass was instrumental in making that happen, and we appreciate that,” Waldman said.
Harris-Dawson, a Bass ally, was at the campaign kickoff but did not make a speech.
Some were not pleased with his minimum wage proposal. Yvonne Wheeler, who is president of the Los Angeles County Federal of Labor and was at the Bass event, called it “shameful.” Soto-Martínez, who co-sponsored the minimum wage ordinance, also opposes Harris-Dawson’s proposal.
Karen Bass hosted her first reelection campaign event last Saturday, saying Angelenos would have a choice between 'working people and the billionaire class.'
