Everybody wants a piece of Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour – except for California politicians.
The tour is obviously massive, breaking Ticketmaster when it went on sale and causing economic booms for cities anytime the record-breaking tour rolls into town.
So why wouldn’t a city want all of the money that Taylor’s bringing into towns around the country?
Well, politicians in California are asking Swift to rethink her upcoming six-night run of shows at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
A group of state and local officials, including California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, have asked Taylor to postpone her shows in LA in solidarity with hotel workers who are currently on strike in the county.
The letter was published by Unite HERE Local 11, the union representing around 15,000 hotel workers at 60 hotels in Los Angeles and Orange County that have been on strike since June 30.
“As a strong and fearless woman, you inspire us and so many of our constituents.
We are writing in support of the hotel housekeepers across Los Angeles. They make beds, clean bathrooms, and take care of every guest need. But right now, workers say they are struggling to make ends meet.
Your shows make our region’s hotels a lot of money. In Los Angeles, hotels are doubling and tripling what they charge because you are coming. The hotels are making more money than ever, but many workers cannot afford to live close to where they work. Some of them even sleep in their cars between shifts. Others are at risk of losing their homes.
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.
Speak Now! Stand with hotel workers and postpone your concerts. Thank you.”
Kounalakis, who attended Taylor’s show in Santa Clara over the weekend and recently announced a campaign for governor, released a statement saying she stands with the union’s calls to postpone the shows:
“I stand with Unite HERE in their fight for a living wage. And I hope we can use this moment to bring attention to the hardworking men and women who are the engine of our economy.”
Swift hasn’t responded to the calls to scrap the shows, and fans are already lining up at SoFi Stadium to buy merch ahead of tomorrow’s first show.
The six shows, which start on August 3 and run through August 9, will be the biggest run of sold-out shows in the stadium’s history, and will also be the most shows that Swift’s performed in any US market on her current tour.
