Media Advisory: Top Democratic Contenders for U.S. Senate to Appear in LA at NUHW Candidate Forum
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 21, 2023
Contact: Matthew Artz, (510) 435-8035, martz@nuhw.org; or Jamie Horwitz (202) 549-4921, jhdcpr@starpower.net
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: Top Democratic Contenders for U.S. Senate to Appear in LA at National Union of Healthcare Workers Candidate Forum Sun., Oct. 8, 10 a.m.
Candidates to be questioned by a panel of independent journalists
NUHW members in the audience and viewing online from across California will vote on the union’s endorsement in the days following the forum
LOS ANGELES — Top Democrats running to become the next U.S. Senator to represent California will appear at a forum sponsored by the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) on Sunday, Oct. 8, beginning at 10 am, at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles. NUHW is hosting this forum in conjunction with Roll Call, the newspaper covering Capitol Hill, and Courage California, which will be promoting the NUHW Candidate Forum to more than one million Californians via email. The event also will be streamed online and simulcast in both English and Spanish. Members of the news media are invited to attend in-person.
Who: The candidates answering questions –
Rep. Barbara Lee
Rep. Katie Porter
Rep. Adam Schiff (not yet confirmed)
The panel of journalists asking questions –
Melanie Mason, Politico
Benjamin Oreskes, Los Angeles Times
Sandhya Raman, Roll Call
Lisa Matthews, Associated Press (Moderator)
What: NUHW U.S. Senate Candidate Forum in conjunction with Roll Call and Courage California
Where: Westin Bonaventure Hotel, 404 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles and streamed live.
When: Sunday, October 8, 10 a.m. PT
Credentialed news media planning to cover the event should RSVP in advance to martz@nuhw.org and plan to arrive by 9 a.m. for onsite registration. Additionally, RSVP to martz@nuhw.org if you plan to cover the event via live stream in order to receive background materials in advance of the forum. News organizations wishing to simulcast are free to do so, but should register intent with NUHW. Admission is limited to NUHW members and invited guests along with media representatives who pre-register.
Rep. Lee and Rep. Porter have confirmed their participation on October 8. Discussions with the Schiff campaign are ongoing. “In 2017 all of the top contenders running for governor of California appeared at a similar forum sponsored by NUHW. The leading candidates in the Senate race all have strong pro-worker track records. We are confident that they will all be on our stage,” said NUHW President Sal Rosselli.
The three leading candidates are members of Congress. Roll Call, the newspaper of Capitol Hill which regularly reports on these elected leaders, is serving as the forum’s media sponsor. Roll Call reporters will be covering the forum and the news site also will be live streaming the forum.
Courage California is a 501c4 progressive organization that connects with more than one million Californians.
NUHW, with 17,000 members in California, represents a cross section of state’s diverse population and workforce, from San Diego to Eureka, including psychologists, pharmacists, nurses and nursing assistants, clerical workers, janitors, medical technicians, social workers, and many others.
“We need to know where the candidates stand on health care, including mental health parity, along with immigrant and workers’ rights,” said Rosselli. “We want to hear their vision for creating a better quality of life for California’s working people and their families. This forum is an opportunity for NUHW members to hear from the candidates firsthand, and it’s also a news event where reporters can pose questions on the minds of voters across the state.”
After hearing from the candidates, 350 elected NUHW union stewards in attendance and NUHW members viewing online will cast a binding vote for the union’s endorsement in the March 2024 primary election. Results of the endorsement vote will be announced on Thursday, October 12.
“Our union’s endorsement is in the hands of our members,” said Rosselli. “After we get a chance to hear from the candidates, we’ll take a transparent, democratic and informed vote, and the winner will have NUHW’s full support.”
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The National Union of Healthcare Workers is a democratic, member-led union that represents 17,000 California healthcare workers, including mental health clinicians.