Thousands are fleeing L.A. while thousands more are left homeless

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Out of the 3,144 counties across the U.S., Los Angeles saw the largest drop in population between July 1, 2021 and July 1, 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

More than 90,000 people left the area, though that’s fewer than the roughly 180,000 that moved the previous year during the peak of the pandemic. That’s when many folks, no longer tethered to an office, began to flee to lower density areas with cheaper housing costs.

“90,000 is not a huge number. It’s not anything to panic about, especially given all the circumstantial problems related to the pandemic,” said Dowell Myers, professor of urban planning and demography at the Price School of Policy at USC.

“The one thing I do worry about is the high housing costs, which are going to persist and will be a deterrent to other people coming here in the future. We’ve got to get a good grip on those,” Myers said.
“There has been time for our cities to put in place their own protections,” Supervisor Janice Hahn said during the meeting. “At this point, it feels like an overreach right now to impose these [rules] on the incorporated cities.”

The new protections that were voted down were proposed by Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Hilda Solis, two progressive board members who previously tried and failed to extend the COVID-19 protections through June. Supervisors Hahn and Kathryn Barger voted against the new rules, while Supervisor Holly Mitchell abstained.
Allowed renters with roommates or pets who moved in during the pandemic without authorization under the terms of their lease to stay for another year before facing potential eviction
Prevented landlords from raising rents by more than 3% per year for tenants living in rent-controlled apartments in unincorporated parts of L.A. county
During the meeting, Horvath spoke passionately about the need for more help for renters.
On any given night, more than 69,000 L.A. residents are experiencing homelessness, according to the region’s most recent count. Housing advocates have credited local eviction protections during the pandemic for slowing the increase in L.A. homelessness in recent years — and they’ve warned numbers could arise when the protections go away.