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Politics · North America

Los Angeles poll finds voters unhappy with city direction, concerns led by homelessness

A California Post poll found that 42% of surveyed Los Angeles voters had seriously considered leaving California in the past four years. Homelessness was their leading concern, cited by 47.3%, followed by the cost of living at 41.7% and housing costs at 35.4%.

AI-assisted synthesis · Based on 4 outlets' reporting · Article text read from 1 of 4 outlets · 1 article captured only in partHow it's made

View timeline · 9 entries
4 outletsLatest reporting 3 min read
Coverage: Mostly CenterL 0 · C 3 · R 1
Updat3 graphic: Los Angeles
Updat3 graphic · Map data: Natural Earth Natural Earth (public domain)

What happened

Key facts

  • The California Post-McLaughlin & Associates poll found 66.2% of surveyed Los Angeles voters were unhappy with the city’s direction; 16.4% said it was on the right track.
  • Homelessness was the top concern for 47.3% of respondents, followed by cost of living at 41.7% and housing costs at 35.4%.
  • The survey found 42% had seriously considered leaving California in the past four years.
  • The survey found 74.1% named at least one pocketbook concern, including housing affordability, inflation and government spending.

The brief

A California Post poll found that 42% of surveyed Los Angeles voters had seriously considered leaving California during the previous four years. The poll’s account also identified homelessness, everyday expenses and housing prices as leading concerns among respondents. Homelessness ranked first, with 47.3% naming it as a top concern.

The cost of living followed at 41.7%, while 35.4% identified housing costs. These figures describe the concerns recorded in the survey; the excerpt does not explain how respondents ranked issues beyond those reported percentages.

The poll also found broad dissatisfaction with the city’s direction: 66.2% said Los Angeles was going the wrong way, while 16.4% considered it on the right track.

The California Post characterized homelessness and rising living and housing costs as factors fueling frustration, but the excerpt does not provide evidence establishing that those concerns caused respondents to consider moving. The survey included 400 Los Angeles general-election voters. McLaughlin & Associates conducted it from Oct.

15–18, using cellphone calls, text messages and landlines. The California Post said it commissioned the poll. Its findings therefore concern surveyed voters, rather than a count of all city residents. The excerpt also reports views of the mayor: 71.7% of respondents disapproved, and 25.5% approved. It says 40.4% were undecided or declined to answer.

The figures as presented do not explain how the undecided and nonresponse category relates to the approval and disapproval percentages, and the excerpt does not name the mayor.

The California Post quotes a poll-related comment describing the share who had considered leaving as “very high.” It also says McLaughlin described the mayoral disapproval figures as “shocking” for a Democratic mayor in a deep-blue city. Those are characterizations, distinct from the survey’s reported percentages.

The poll account links respondents’ concerns to homelessness and living and housing costs, while also recording dissatisfaction with the city’s direction and the mayor’s job performance. It does not report whether respondents who considered leaving were the same people who cited those concerns, or whether they intend to move.

Why it matters

  • The survey identifies a potential relocation concern among Los Angeles voters: 42% said they had seriously considered leaving California in the past four years.
  • Homelessness was a leading stated concern, cited by 47.3% of respondents; cost of living and housing costs were cited by 41.7% and 35.4%, respectively.
  • The poll recorded dissatisfaction with both the city’s direction (66.2% unhappy) and the mayor (71.7% disapproval), while 16.4% said Los Angeles was on the right track and 25.5% approved of the mayor.

What to watch next

  • Whether the California Post or McLaughlin & Associates provides further detail on how respondents who considered leaving relate to those citing homelessness and costs.
  • Whether subsequent reporting provides additional detail about the mayoral approval and disapproval figures, including the undecided or declined-to-answer category.
  • Whether the California Post reports any follow-up on the 42% who said they had seriously considered leaving, including whether they intend to move.

How it's being covered

Coverage analysisShow details
4 source articles · 4 unique outlets
Outlet political mix: Mostly Center· 3 Center · 1 Right
Where the outlets are based: US/Canada 75% · Unknown 25%
Outlet political mix
Mostly Center
Left
Center
Right
0 outlets
3 outlets
1 outlet
The marker shows coverage balance: each unique outlet counts once.
Geography
Where the outlets covering this story are based.
4 unique outletsDominant coverage: US/Canada
Coverage imbalance
  • Coverage is currently concentrated among Center-rated outlets (3 of 4 rated sources); comparatively few Left-rated outlets have published on the event.
  • Coverage is currently concentrated among outlets based in US/Canada (3 of 4 geographically-identified sources).
How we measure coverage

How outlets' accounts compare

Updat3 does not yet have enough full reports to compare how outlets framed this story.

Timeline

Developments from this story's sources, dated background we compiled and fact-checked, and our earlier coverage. Each row says which.
  1. California’s Housing Element Law, enacted in 1969, requires local governments to plan for housing needs identified by the state; later laws strengthened requirements for cities to accommodate projected growth.
    Background · from our historical context
  2. Proposition 13, approved by California voters on June 6, 1978, capped property-tax rates and limited annual increases in assessed values for existing owners.
    Background · from our historical context
  3. California enacted the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, restricting local rent control on certain housing.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  4. Measure JJJ, approved in November 2016, tied certain affordable-housing requirements and labor standards to eligible development projects seeking zoning changes or public assistance.
    Background · from our historical context
  5. Los Angeles voters approved Measure HHH, authorizing $1.2 billion in bonds for supportive housing.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  6. Los Angeles County voters approved Measure H to fund homelessness services.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  7. Karen Bass defeated Rick Caruso in the Los Angeles mayoral election.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  8. Karen Bass took office as mayor of Los Angeles.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  9. Los Angeles’s Measure ULA transfer tax on property sales above specified thresholds took effect.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3

How we got here

On December 12, 2022, Karen Bass became mayor of Los Angeles after defeating Rick Caruso in the November 8 election, succeeding Eric Garcetti. The city had already approved Measure HHH in November 2016, authorizing $1.2 billion in bonds for supportive housing, and Los Angeles County voters had approved Measure H in March 2017 to fund homelessness services.

Proposition 13, approved by California voters on June 6, 1978, capped property-tax rates and limited annual increases in assessed values for existing owners. The Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, signed on July 24, 1995, restricted local rent control on certain housing, including units built after February 1, 1995.

Original sources

3 of 4 articles · US/Canada · Show all

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