Los Angeles’ affordability crisis exposes its liberal hypocrisy

Los Angeles is very good at branding itself as liberal. That’s why you get reactions like this. 

When Neil Anderson moved from Florida to Los Angeles to start a church, his family asked him, “Are you the only Republican there?” 

Anderson also believed everyone in LA is liberal. He imagined “people would just be running naked down the streets,” he said. 

But Anderson eventually found his tribe, by attending events like conservative comedy nights or conservative Halloween parties. After all, one in five registered voters in Los Angeles County are Republicans. Half are Democrats. And 23 percent have no party preference. 

Modern liberalism is about believing in fairness and equality, and using government to level the playing field. 

But famously liberal Los Angeles also suffers from some of the worst inequality in the United States. 

Here’s how one of America’s most democratic counties behaves in ways that don’t always align with the values it projects to the world. 

The perception that everyone in LA is extremely liberal is amplified by famous voices in the entertainment industry, who advocate for liberal causes. 

Take Joaquin Phoenix’s speech at the Oscars in 2020. “Whether we’re talking about gender inequality or racism or queer rights or indigenous rights or animal rights, we’re talking about the fight against injustice,” he said while accepting the Best Actor award. 

Hollywood helps to set the tone in LA, for what’s cool or acceptable to stand for.

In Los Angeles, identifying as liberal is a badge of goodness — signalling you’re enlightened, compassionate, and care about equality. 

The perception that everyone in LA is liberal is also because Angelenos overwhelmingly elect democrats — from City Hall to Congress.

When it comes to the city of LA specifically, 14 of 15 city council seats are currently held by Democrats. The last Republican mayor of Los Angeles served until 2001. 

In the California state senate, there are two republicans and 11 democrats representing different parts of LA County. In the state assembly, there is one republican and 23 democrats representing LA county. And in the House of Representatives, of the 17 seats whose districts touch LA County, only one is held by a Republican. 

However, there is a difference between how people vote for abstract policies on paper and how they actually behave when the thing they voted for starts to impact their own neighborhood, property and daily life. 

Nowhere is this more apparent in Los Angeles than when it comes to building more housing. 

That’s when liberal values tend to collide with self interest. 

The shortage of affordable housing in LA is one of the biggest drivers of inequality in the county. 

It forces more people into neighborhoods with fewer resources, such as underfunded schools, that are often farther from job centers. That results in much longer commutes and less time for family and side income. People are also spending a larger share of their income on rent, leaving less for education, savings, or investment. 

Angelenos overwhelmingly vote in support of more affordable housing as an abstract moral good… until there’s a real personal impact next door. 

Watch the video to find out how the battle to build more housing in LA shows the gap between what people say they believe is good for humanity … and what they’re actually willing to live with.

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