L.A. voters lack confidence in Trump’s coronavirus performance, give Newsom, Garcetti high marks, poll finds

Los Angeles County residents have far more confidence in state and local officials to lead them through the coronavirus outbreak than they do President Trump, a new poll has found.

The poll, by the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University, reported that 85% or more of respondents had confidence in California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and the Los Angeles County Health Department, while only 38% had confidence in President Trump.

Those who identified as politically conservative tended to be more skeptical both of the stay-at-home orders and of the level of threat posed by the virus. Only 76% of them viewed the virus as a real threat compared with 91% among liberals.

Conservatives also saw themselves as less vulnerable, with 74% saying they worried they would catch the virus, compared with 85% of liberals.

Despite suffering economically from the extensive shutdown of businesses, residents overwhelmingly supported the stay-at-home orders issued by Newsom and Garcetti with 77% saying they strongly support the orders and 18% supporting them somewhat.

And 86% said they wanted local authorities to take over hotels and motels if it became necessary to quarantine people most at risk for coronavirus and COVID-19 patients.

Nearly half of households in Los Angeles County have lost a job or had their work hours cut because of the coronavirus outbreak, and another 10% have lost other sources of income, the poll found.

The economic hit was harder among the young and those who already had a lower household income.