3 charts that show L.A. voters are frustrated with housing costs
Good morning. It’s Thursday, May 9. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.
- Renters and young adults are more frustrated with Los Angeles’ housing crisis than ever, poll says.
- The superintendent of Berkeley schools rejected accusations that the district’s K-12 classrooms have become breeding grounds for antisemitism.
- Where to buy a bra in L.A. that actually fits.
- And here’s today’s e-newspaper
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Renters and young adults are more frustrated with Los Angeles’ housing crisis than ever
About three-quarters of renters and people under 35 have considered leaving L.A. despite wanting to buy a home here, a new poll has found.
The reason? High housing costs.
The Los Angeles Business Council Institute in partnership with the Los Angeles Times surveyed 600 registered voters in the city of L.A. between April 3-7.
A majority of them, especially renters and those under 35, expressed stark anxiety about housing and homeownership, saying they personally had difficulty affording housing in the city.
My colleague Liam Dillon reported on the poll. Let’s take a look at some of the major findings.
87% of voters believe housing affordability is a serious crisis in L.A., according to the poll. 93% of poll respondents believe homelessness is a serious problem, a 4 percentage point drop from the last LABC-Times survey in 2019.
Angelenos are forced to find additional sources of income to afford housing
More than 40% of respondents said they found additional sources of income to afford housing in the last five years. Nearly 20% said they added new roommates or renters to pay bills or had fallen behind their rent or mortgage payments. Another 6% said they were homeless or lived in vehicles in that period.
74% of renters have considered leaving L.A. due to rising housing costs, while only 33% of homeowners have.
60% of poll respondents overall said they debated moving from L.A. because of high housing costs, with 35% saying they “seriously” considered doing so. This percentage increased by 14 points for renters, and dropped by 24 points for homeowners.
Angelenos think they are working hard but still find themselves failing to keep pace with rising costs, Aileen Cardona-Arroyo, a senior vice president at Hart Research, the polling firm that administered the survey, told Dillon.
Renters tend to spend more of their income on housing every month than owners
In recent years, both average rents for new listings and home values have skyrocketed in L.A., according to data from Zillow.
More than half of renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent, according to a UCLA analysis. But only 3 in 10 homeowners spend that much.
More than half of voters agreed that the city should substantially increase homebuilding to address its housing crisis. Renters and those under 35 were more likely to support new construction than homeowners and those over 65.
Most people agree L.A. needs more housing. They don’t agree on where, how much, or if it will help.
At least 80% of voters favored the construction of income-restricted affordable housing, housing for veterans, public service workers, low-income seniors and low-income families with children. More than 60% of voters also supported building long-term housing for homeless residents.
For the record:
9:06 a.m. May 9, 2024A previous version of this newsletter stated that only 42% of homeowners agreed that widespread construction would alleviate L.A.’s housing problem. That finding relates instead to people who believe that housing problems are so bad that the state should intervene.
But only 42% of homeowners believed that the lack of affordable housing in the city was serious enough for the state to intervene and penalize local governments that block construction.
32% of voters opposed widespread construction, and said they feared it would increase the city’s population and worsen traffic. 49% also said that new construction in their neighborhoods would increase housing costs and push residents out.
Some academic research has shown that new homebuilding decreases rents or slows their growth in a region as a whole. But, there isn’t much consensus on how new construction affects an individual neighborhood.
More from the poll:
- Los Angeles voters want more housing but worry it won’t help them.
- Most young adults and renters are considering leaving L.A. due to high housing costs.
Today’s top stories
Antisemitism hearings
- The superintendent of Berkeley Unified School District on Wednesday rejected accusations that the district’s K-12 classrooms have become breeding grounds for antisemitism.
- Berkeley public schools were hit with a complaint back in March alleging ‘severe and persistent’ antisemitic bullying.
Shohei Ohtani scandal
- Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter agrees to plead guilty to stealing $17 million.
- Ohtani said in April that he is ‘grateful’ for the investigation into ex-interpreter. ‘I’d like to focus on baseball’
Climate and environment
- Fishy feast draws sea lions to San Francisco’s Pier 39 in numbers not seen in 15 years.
- A new study found that the emissions released when cooking food may diminish air quality, even though they tend to smell really good.
- California has known about radioactive waste in Bay Area landfills for decades.
- People and pets urged to avoid San Bernardino lake due to toxic algal bloom.
Campus protests
- USC’s faculty senate censures President Carol Folt and provost over commencement.
- L.A. Mayor Karen Bass says UCLA violence reminded her of Jan. 6 attack on Capitol.
2024 election
- Americans want to forget about COVID-19, but its fallout is shaping voter attitudes.
- Rep. Barbara Lee endorses Rep. Adam Schiff for Senate and gets some fundraising help.
Reservoirs and drought
- Incredible before-and-after images of reservoirs are proof of California’s winter deluges.
- See how much water the state has stored here.
More big stories
- Fast-food workers make $20 an hour. California’s other low wage earners ask: What about us?
- They were wrongfully convicted as teens. Now L.A. County is paying them $24 million.
- The American Youth Symphony abruptly shut down in March. Here’s how the storied orchestra collapsed.
- Newsom called the deployment of California Highway Patrol across cities ‘unprecedented.’
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Commentary and opinions
Mark Swed: We’re already feeling the loss of Gustavo Dudamel at the L.A. Phil.
George Skelton: Expect campus uprisings to cause headaches for Democrats this election.
Mark Z. Barabak: He lost by 5 votes and conceded graciously. Trump could learn something here.
Anita Chabria: Stormy Daniels is shameless and it’s wonderful.
Steve Lopez: They want to ride buses and trains, but they’re afraid. For riders old and young, Metro must be safer.
Today’s great reads
Inside L.A.’s greatest family feud: Warring brothers. A mother’s choice. Billions at stake. The fate of a real estate empire hinged on whether two brothers made a deal years ago. One brother said they shook on it. The other denied there was a deal. What would a jury think?
Other great reads
- Rebecca Schaeffer’s murder by an obsessed fan led to anti-stalking laws. Marcia Clark, the lead prosecutor, reflects on the case.
- At the turn of the 21st century, California growers were farming more than 36,000 acres of asparagus. Now, fewer than 3,000 acres are in production in the state for commercial sale. These are the last three farms.
- In Southeast L.A. County, working-class Latino students now have a pathway to becoming journalists.
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.
For your downtime
Going out
- 🌿 Weed changed this California town. Now artsy residents are all in on psychedelics.
- 🍜 Kato, a Taiwanese restaurant in DTLA, received The World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ One to Watch award.
- 🛍️ Where to buy a bra in L.A. that actually fits.
Staying in
- 📺 Several miniseries set during World War II have been released in succession.
- 🧑🍳 Here’s a recipe for Gambas Al Ajillo: Garlicky Shrimp Sauté.
- ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.
And finally ... from our archives
At midnight on May 8, 1945, World War II ended in Europe, following Germany’s surrender. However, the war continued in the Pacific until Japan surrendered in September.
Every year since then, hundreds of thousands celebrate Victory in Europe Day on May 8.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Defne Karabatur, fellow
Christian Orozco, assistant editor
Stephanie Chavez, deputy metro editor
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
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