Essential Politics: Love the weather, hate the traffic

I’m Christina Bellantoni, the Essential Politics host today. Happy Wednesday.

Los Angeles County residents appreciate Southern California’s climate and being close to the ocean and the mountains. They are most concerned about traffic and crime.

These results from a new USC Dornsife/California Community Foundation/Los Angeles Times poll -- released Wednesday as temperatures are expected to hit 82 degrees under clear, blue skies -- won’t shock anyone who has visited the region.

But answers from the 1,500 survey respondents also gave us a fresh look at how Angelenos view their community. Nita Lelyveld dove into the numbers and found the complications of daily existence in this vast urban area may affect residents’ ability and willingness to get more involved. People who took the survey told her they feel too overwhelmed to give back, and that even when they want to, they don’t always know where to start.

This poll was the first we’ve conducted online, which means the Los Angeles Times is joining the ongoing debate over methodology. I’ve tackled that topic in a Q&A here, and the conversation will continue as we plan our 2016 political polls.

USC’s Dan Schnur and I will outline the findings Thursday morning at a “Vision for a Better L.A. County" town hall hosted by the California Community Foundation.

THE MONEY RACE IN SANTA BARBARA

Candidates in the competitive race to replace retiring Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) revealed third-quarter fundraising hauls Tuesday, Javier Panzar reports.

Santa Barbara County Supervisor Salud Carbajal, backed by Capps, continued his impressive fundraising effort and crossed the $1-million mark after raising $405,000 in the quarter.

Santa Barbara Mayor Helene Schneider raised $145,317, pushing her campaign-to-date total raised to $370,622. Last month she earned an important endorsement from state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara).

Twenty-seven-year-old Republican businessman Justin Fareed raised $210,000 to bring his yearly total to $430,000. A spokeswoman for Republican Assembly member Katcho Achadjian said the campaign was still tallying contributions.

TODAY’S ESSENTIALS

-- No more paparazzi flying drones over private property.

-- Californians overwhelmingly support the new assited suicide law, but opponents filed papers to attempt to overturn it by referendum.

-- Don’t miss Melanie Mason’s profile of Assemblywoman Susan Talamantes Eggman, a former hospice worker whose life has long revolved around death. She's one of the new law's authors.

-- Noam Levey writes that the national healthcare debate is poised to enter a new phase as the 2016 campaign cranks into high gear.

-- Join us at Politicon. We’re a sponsor, and I’m moderating a panel Friday on California's role in the political process. Use the code LATIMES for a free ticket.

LOGISTICS

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