Millions of Californians, including Los Angeles voters, will likely express their dissatisfaction and frustration at the ballot box by Nov. 3, with affordability and public safety high on their priority lists.
As of Oct. 29, more than 21% of California voters, or 5 million of the 23.4 million voters who were sent ballots, had cast their ballots either in person or by mail. In LA County, more than 1 million people had already performed their civic duty, according to the California Secretary of State’s office.
For more than one-third of likely voters in California, the cost of living, inflation and the economy are the most important issues, according to this week’s survey by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC).
That’s not surprising, given that the average price of regular, unleaded gas was $5.947 a gallon in California as of Thursday. High gas prices have likely contributed to higher prices for groceries, including fresh produce and meat.
The pessimism is also reflected in the share of Californians who feel they are “falling behind,” according to PPIC, with 73% of likely voters saying their income is not keeping up with inflation. Since researchers asked the same question in February, that figure has jumped by nearly 5 percentage points.
And most Californians are pessimistic about whether affordability will improve over the next 12 months. Nearly 80% of likely voters, across parties, regions and demographics, said they expect bad economic conditions to persist.
Latinos, who make up one of California’s largest and most influential voting blocs, similarly have a negative outlook on the economy, which could translate into votes, according to Loyola Marymount political science professor Dr. Fernando Guerra.
“At the top of the list is affordability,” Guerra said. “They vote almost exactly on the same issues that most Angeleno voters: housing costs, homelessness, public safety — it’s almost right down. It’s not until you get to the fifth or sixth issue where immigration and Latino incorporation really gets into the mix.”
Los Angeles voters appear to have different priorities from California voters, according to a recent poll by Berkeley IGS and the Los Angeles Times.
Employment didn’t even make the top five, according to the survey. Only 9% said promoting job creation is a priority for them.
That may be why, with just four days left before Election Day, LA Mayor Karen Bass and her challenger, Councilmember Nithya Raman, were both out in Encino Friday, each criticizing the other’s record on homelessness.
Voters from Encino, which is part of Raman’s Council District 4, pointed to the councilmember’s lackluster efforts to address constituents’ complaints about unhoused people living near their homes.
“I have seen homeless encampments right next to where our kids play. Not once, but many, many times,” Kristin Glushon, an Encino resident, said.
Another voter from Los Feliz, also part of Council District 4, claimed public safety is not Raman’s priority.
“We in Los Feliz value public safety,” Cameron Flanagan, a Los Feliz resident, said. “Our representative, Nithya Raman, has shown that she has not.”
However, Raman’s supporters in the same neighborhood said the councilmember has made progress in reducing homelessness.
“The encampments are gone. And they are gone elsewhere in (Council District) 4,” Laure Stevens, an Encino resident, said.
Others also appreciated her “passion” for helping unhoused people.
“It takes work,” Amos Marvel, a Reseda resident, said. “She has passion. It exudes with everyone on her staff.”
As Raman continued to emphasize she has reduced homelessness by nearly 50% in her district, she also slammed Bass’ handling of homelessness funding. For fiscal year 2025-26 alone, the city projected $131.9 million in expenditures for Inside Safe, the mayor’s signature homelessness initiative.
“They need ruthless management of what we are spending,” Raman said Friday. “Right now, Angelenos under Mayor Karen Bass are getting none of that.”
According to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority’s annual count, the number of unsheltered people in Raman’s district fell from 181 in 2025 to 93 in 2026, a decline of approximately 49%.
Homelessness may be Bass’ weakness, given the astronomical amount of money that has gone into Inside Safe and the relatively small decline in homelessness. The number of unhoused people went down 2.3% since 2023, according to LAHSA.
But public safety may be a vulnerability for Raman, who previously supported “defund the police” efforts, voted against efforts to ban homeless encampments near schools and, most recently, doubled down on her proposal to fire LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell.
Capitalizing on Raman’s statements about the future of the LAPD, Bass has focused on what she describes as one of city government’s most important responsibilities: public safety.
“You never know what (Raman)’s going to say one day to the other,” the incumbent said. “That’s not the way. We need stability in this city.”
Longtime political pros Mike Murphy and Bob Schrum of the Center for the Political Future at USC said playing the police card could help Bass win over voters who backed Spencer Pratt. With nearly 20% of LA voters still undecided this week, winning over Pratt supporters could be key, they said.
“I think, as they are finding out more about Bass and are siding with her. They still don’t like her,” Schrum said.
“The polling I’ve seen indicates the undecides are breaking for Pratt,” Murphy said. “It could be a barn burner on election night or beyond because it takes so long to count votes here.”
