Jane Fonda isn’t waiting for election season to heat up — she’s kicking it off herself. On Wednesday, the Hollywood icon is headlining a star-studded fundraiser in Los Angeles, using her platform to push Democrats toward what organizers say is the defining issue of the next election cycle: affordability.
The event, Stand Up for a Living Wage — a special night of comedy, activism and community power — will take over The Three Clubs the same evening the DNC Winter Meeting lands in L.A. And Fonda won’t be alone. Comedian Nikki Glaser is joining her onstage, bringing a dose of sharp and timely political comedy to a night designed to send a very specific message to national Democrats: if you want to beat Trump in 2026, raising wages has to be front and center.
“I joined the Living Wage for All Coalition because we are in an affordability crisis, and no democracy can survive when millions of families cannot afford to live,” Fonda says. “Democrats need to deliver bold vision and action on affordability and living wages to succeed. For years, we have watched politicians make promises about affordability while avoiding the one solution that truly lifts people up, which is raising wages.”
Fonda has been addressing economic workers’ issues for a long time and even turned her interest into a film with “9 to 5.” She has also traveled the country with SARU on behalf of One Fair Wage. “This campaign is focused on real material change, not slogans,” she says. “I wanted to lend my voice to something rooted in dignity, fairness and the belief that every worker deserves the chance to build a stable life and that is critical to saving democracy right now.”
Fonda adds, “Low wages are not distributed equally. They fall hardest on women and especially women of color who make our restaurants, hospitals, and service industries function every single day. When we raise wages, we directly address gender inequality, racial injustice and the economic barriers that have held entire communities back for generations. A living wage is one of the most powerful tools we have to create a fairer society, and if we are serious about equality then we must ensure people are paid enough to live with security and dignity.”
This whole effort is powered by the team behind New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s widely discussed “$30 by 2030” pledge. Now they’re scaling up, taking their message national and betting on Los Angeles as the next proving ground for a major living-wage push.
Organizers see the DNC Winter Meeting as a rare, high-visibility moment when Hollywood energy and Democratic Party decision-making will collide — and they intend to make it count. The fundraiser is designed not just as an L.A.-style night out, but as a pressure point. Their goal is to get DNC members fully committed to centering affordability and wage increases as the party’s unifying rallying cry going into the midterms.
“I have spent much of my life listening to people tell their stories, and the hardest ones to hear are from workers doing everything right yet still falling behind,” Fonda shares. “No one should work full time and still have to choose between rent, food or childcare. For me, this is not abstract policy. It is about honoring the humanity and labor of people who keep this country running and insisting that their lives matter, especially if we want them to join the fight to save democracy.”
