Los Angeles voters are fed up with the direction of their city, as rampant homelessness, soaring living costs and sky-high housing prices fuel widespread frustration, according to a new California Post-McLaughlin & Associates poll.
Two-thirds of those surveyed, 66.2%, said they were unhappy with the way the city is going, while just 16.4% said it is on the right track.
Meanwhile, 42% said they have seriously considered leaving California in the past four years.
Homelessness topped the list of concerns, with 47.3% naming it as their biggest worry in Los Angeles. Cost of living followed at 41.7%, with housing costs at 35.4%. Overall, 74.1% named at least one pocketbook concern, including housing affordability, inflation and government spending.
“It seemed very high when four out of 10 residents in the city of Los Angeles wanna move out of state. They’re going to lose some of the most productive taxpayers and citizens,” pollster John McLaughlin told The Post.
“I’ve not seen numbers like that. Possibly in New York, but other than that, that’s a very high number,” he added.
The survey also delivered a damning verdict on Mayor Karen Bass ahead of next month’s election. A whopping 71.7% of voters disapprove of her job performance, while just 25.5% approve, numbers McLaughlin called “shocking” for a Democratic mayor in a deep blue city.
The disapproval cuts across all ages, races and both sexes, and Bass is even facing backlash within her own party, with 65.5% of registered Democrats disapproving of her performance.
Her numbers are especially weak among young voters. Just 12.3% of voters ages 18 to 29 approve of her, compared with 48.4% of those older than 65.
That has left Los Angeles staring down the possibility of a victory by Nithya Raman, who is backed by the Democratic Socialists of America and has surged with younger voters. Raman leads Bass 46.7% to 38.8% in a head-to-head matchup, with 13.5% undecided.
Still, there may be a glimmer of hope for Bass. Pollsters warned Raman’s lead could evaporate if older voters stick with the incumbent and younger voters fail to show up.
“The strength of Raman’s support comes from young voters who do not turn out as reliably as their parents and grandparents,” said Dan Schnur, a political analyst who teaches at USC, UC Berkeley and Pepperdine.
Raman has also yet to win over a majority of voters, with 45.4% viewing her favorably and 43.7% unfavorably. Her left-wing politics drew the sharpest criticism, with 15.3% citing her DSA ties as their biggest concern, 14.4% calling her ineffective, 13.1% branding her policies radical and 10.3% questioning her experience.
Asked which candidate was more extreme, 41% pointed to Raman, compared with just 16.4% for Bass.
Veteran pollster Justin Wallin, a fellow at USC’s Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics, cautioned that Raman’s lead is no guarantee.
“If anyone says they know for certain which way this race will go come Election Day, they are pulling your leg,” Wallin said. “It is simply too close to call.”
Schnur told The Post that voters who backed unsuccessful independent candidate Spencer Pratt in the June primary will be crucial.
Geographically, Raman leads in the San Fernando Valley, Central LA, East LA and South LA, while Bass dominates the combined Westside and Harbor area 52% to 27%.
The Post commissioned the survey of 400 LA general election voters, conducted Oct. 15–18.
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