A coalition of Los Angeles labor unions and business groups accused mayoral candidate Nithya Raman of threatening 15,000 union jobs by opposing the Convention Center expansion.

The LA County Federation of Labor AFL-CIO, the Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council, the Central City Association and more than a dozen other organizations issued a joint statement Wednesday, Sept. 16, targeting Raman's campaign against the $2.68 billion project. The Los Angeles Sentinel published the coalition's statement.

"It's really a shame that Nithya Raman is threatening the paychecks and livelihood of thousands of workers and millions of residents and visitors in Los Angeles who will benefit from this hugely important economic development project," said Yvonne Wheeler, president of the LA County Federation of Labor.

The coalition cited projections that the expansion would create 15,000 union jobs, including 1,600 apprenticeships. It also claimed the project would generate more than $1.8 billion in local business sales and more than $652 million in tax revenue. As of July 2026, 13 major organizations had committed conferences to the expanded center, according to the statement, projected to bring 103,000 visitors and $242 million in economic impact.

Ernesto Medrano, executive secretary of the Building and Construction Trades Council, said Raman's campaign materials "didn't mention workers even once." Nella McOsker, president and CEO of the Central City Association, called the expansion "a vital public investment that delivers paychecks, keeps businesses open, and funds critical city services."

The statement came six days after Raman launched a billboard campaign and website opposing the project. It is the first organized labor response to her Convention Center push in the Tuesday, Nov. 3 mayoral runoff between incumbent Mayor Karen Bass and Raman, a City Council member representing District 4.

Raman opposes the project's financing. On Sept. 10, she launched a mobile billboard campaign and website arguing the expansion will cost the General Fund roughly $100 million a year. She and Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky, chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, voted against the expansion when the City Council approved it in 2025.

At a Sept. 10 news conference, Our Weekly reported, Raman said she supports downtown investment but called the financing plan unsustainable. "Our city's major investments have to be financially sustainable, and they can never come at the expense of keeping basic city services running …" Raman said at the news conference.

The expansion, approved with $2.68 billion in borrowing and $5.39 billion in total debt service, connects the South and West Exhibit Halls above Pico Boulevard. Construction is phased around the 2028 Olympic Games, with completion expected as soon as 2029.

No response from Raman's campaign to the Sept. 16 coalition statement appeared in public reporting as of publication. Bass finished with roughly 34% in the June primary; Raman took about 29%. Voter registration information is available through the LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.