Betty Yee, the former California state controller and a candidate for California governor in 2026, and Fiona Ma, the California state treasurer, spoke at the strike. Yee said she wanted to show solidarity, adding that if she were governor, she would encourage the UCs to bargain with their unions in good faith.

“It’s really important for the workers to show up,” Yee said. “Tell your story because people really don’t know the human element … who’s at the other end of the services they provide, and they do so much more than just providing the services in which they have expertise in a discipline in. It’s very much about how we keep the entire Los Angeles community healthy and informed about what’s going on with their health care.”