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Homelessness, Traffic, & Housing – LA Locals’ Top Concerns
Benjamin Oreskes, Doug Smith, & David Lauter
Reporters, The Los Angeles Times
Homelessness is now by far the greatest concern of nearly every Los Angeles resident. A 2019 poll conducted for the Los Angeles Times and the Los Angeles Business Council Institute found that 95% of voters now categorize homelessness in the region as a serious-very serious problem, as people living in tents, RVs, and makeshift shelters become a fact of life in neighborhoods far and wide. Only two interrelated issues rivaled homelessness as a top concern: traffic congestion and housing affordability. The lack of housing options in cities continues to manifest into overcrowded living conditions, unaffordable rents, a growing homelessness population, and longer commutes and more congested roads as affordable housing options move further away from economic opportunity.