A new study shows that a majority of Los Angeles (L.A.) residents are “less satisfied” with their quality of life as the mayoral election looms.
Surveying 1,400 L.A. County residents between March 15-29 with a 2.6 percent margin of error, the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs study showed that Angelenos are overall “less satisfied” with their quality of life.
“The overall index dropped to a historic low of 52, with six of the nine categories that comprise the index also falling to their lowest levels on record,” it noted. “Education, transportation/traffic and cost of living saw the steepest declines, reinforcing the ongoing strain of affordability and infrastructure challenges.”
The top issues centered on fears of deportation (31 percent), followed by income loss due to the historic wildfires (26 percent), with an overall dissatisfaction with the wildfire relief efforts (56 percent) under Democrat Mayor Karen Bass.
“Los Angeles County residents’ rating of their quality of life has been in decline since the peak of the COVID pandemic,” said Zev Yaroslavsky, director of the Los Angeles Initiative at UCLA Luskin. “We’ve been through a lot in the last five years. COVID, increases in the cost of living, immigration sweeps, and the Altadena and Palisades fires have taken their toll on virtually every aspect of our lives.”
“Despite the challenges county residents have faced, when asked if they were generally optimistic or pessimistic about their own economic future in Los Angeles County, a majority of survey respondents (53%) said they were optimistic,” Yaroslavsky added.
While Mayor Karen Bass has a low approval rating, she still leads the pack for the upcoming mayoral race, followed by former reality TV star Spencer Pratt.
“The survey also gauged voter sentiment in the upcoming Los Angeles mayoral election, revealing a highly unsettled race,” noted the study. “Among 813 likely June primary voters, incumbent Mayor Karen Bass leads with 25% support, followed by Spencer Pratt at 11% and Nithya Raman at 9%. A striking 40% of voters remain undecided — by far the largest bloc.”
“With no clear second-place candidate emerging, the findings suggest that while Bass is well positioned to advance, the contest for the second spot remains fluid and voter preferences are still taking shape,” it added.
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