CA Lt. Governor urges Taylor Swift to delay L.A. concerts amid worker strike. She’s attended one already.

Eleni Kounalakis wants shows canceled for‍ hundreds ⁣of thousands of fans

California’s Democratic lieutenant governor, who is running to succeed Gov. Gavin ​Newsom (D.), told Taylor Swift she should⁤ postpone ‍her ⁣six-night tour stop⁣ in ⁤a show of support for Los Angeles hotel workers who⁣ launched ‌the strike over the July 4 ⁢weekend. She herself doesn’t​ have to worry about missing⁤ a concert since she already ‌attended​ one of the pop ​star’s‌ Bay Area shows.

Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis led a union-sponsored open letter from state Democrats urging Swift to postpone⁢ her shows.⁣ But just ‍before advising the star to kick back her​ tour dates, Kounalakis‌ posted ‌ a photo and video of herself attending a Swift show in Santa ​Clara,‍ California, on ⁢July‍ 30. Hotel workers were⁤ protesting then, too. ​Swift added a sixth show ​to the L.A. portion of her wildly popular “Eras” tour, where she ‍is slated to‍ perform for an⁣ estimated 420,000 fans—some of whom ⁣have paid thousands of dollars for tickets.

“Your shows make our region’s ​hotels ​a lot of money,” Kounalakis ‍and her fellow Democrats wrote on ⁢letterhead for‌ the union Unite Here’s L.A. chapter ‌released Tuesday.⁤ “In Los Angeles, hotels ‌are ⁢doubling and tripling what they charge because you are coming.”

“Stand with hotel workers ‌and postpone your concerts,” they⁢ wrote.

It ‌is unclear how‌ Swift could postpone‌ at the last minute an⁤ entire set of nearly sold-out shows. Swift’s U.S. tour extends through August and her international tour is scheduled through August 2024.

Kounalakis’s demands are ‌an example of hypocrisy from state Democrats, critics say, and⁢ follow on other high-profile incidents that have angered voters, such as Newsom’s decision to dine out at a five-star Napa Valley⁤ restaurant in the midst of strict COVID‍ lockdowns. Democrats “need to shake off the belief ⁣that they operate separate and above the rest of us,” said ​Matt ⁤Shupe, a California Republican strategist with Praetorian Public Relations.

“We knew ‍this was troubling behavior when Governor Newsom ate indoors at the French ⁣Laundry during the height‍ of the pandemic and it​ doesn’t seem like it will ⁤never, ever⁣ get back to the non-hypocritical behavior we deserve,” Shupe said.

Newsom was⁤ caught maskless at ​a lobbyist’s birthday dinner ⁤at the exclusive French Laundry restaurant in Napa even as he had the public under the ⁣nation’s strictest pandemic⁣ lockdown ⁣orders. Newsom and other Democrats were ​also photographed maskless⁤ at an NFL championship game in Los Angeles when ‍Californians were still ordered to cover their faces in public.

Kounalakis was one of more than 50 Southern California Democrats who asked ​Swift to postpone her shows at a ⁣powerful union’s behest. Also signing the letter was Orange County’s state ​senator Dave Min (D.), Rep. Katie Porter’s hand-picked candidate to replace her in the U.S. House of Representatives who in May was caught lying to a cop about how much ⁤he drank, ⁢ according to video of⁣ his DUI arrest.

Kounalakis defended the letter‌ in a statement to the Washington Free​ Beacon. “All workers deserve dignity and fair wages,” she said, adding that she hopes “we can use this moment to bring ​attention to the hardworking men and women ⁤who are the ‍engine of our economy.”

The⁣ Los Angeles chapter of Unite Here, which organized the strike and the letter, has contributed ⁢more‍ than $1.3 million to California ‍Democrats since 2022.

Kounalakis‍ is the only declared gubernatorial candidate in California’s 2026 election, ‌which is expected to be a crowded race.