Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the SAG-AFTRA strike a “historic inflection point” that will have an impact on the overall economy, while suggesting that she would be working on a resolution.
Unlike some other Democrats, including those running for U.S. Senate, Bass did not explicitly side with labor or management.
In a statement released by her office, Bass said, “With more than one hundred thousand workers now participating in an unprecedented strike, it is clear the entertainment industry is at a historic inflection point. This affects all of us and is essential to our overall economy. I call upon all sides to come to the table and work around the clock until an equitable agreement is reached. This is an urgent issue that must be resolved and I will be working to make that happen.”
In March, Bass mediated a resolution to the three-day Los Angeles Unified School district strike.
Her statement about the SAG-AFTRA strike was similar to that her office issued at the outset of the WGA strike, in which she said that she encourages “all sides to come together around an agreement that protects our signature industry and the families it supports.”
Governor Gavin Newsom has not yet commented on the SAG-AFTRA strike, but said at the outset of the WGA strike that his office would intervene if called to by both sides. So far, bringing in an outside mediator has failed to resolve the issues in the SAG-AFTRA impasse with the studios. Both sides agreed to a federal mediator earlier this week, but as the contract expired on Wednesday evening, talks broke down.
