Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Sunday, Aug. 11. I’m your host, Andrew J. Campa. Here’s what you need to know to start your weekend:
High prices, housing are squeezing Orange County residents
Comedic actor Will Ferrell once said, “there’s nothing sexy about Orange County.”
The response was given in an 2003 interview about his upbringing in Irvine in which he noted the area was best known for “tract homes and big movie theaters.”
For many residents living in the state’s third most populous region, Orange County is attractive because of its quality of life, the weather, job market, school districts and access to high-quality healthcare.
That’s what respondents said in a UC Irvine poll released Friday.
They also told pollsters that despite those perks, more than a third are considering leaving the county for myriad reasons, including the high costs of housing and basic necessities, including food and gas.
In many ways, Orange County resembles much of Southern California, where young people struggle to purchase starter homes and those nearing retirement worry their money won’t go as far as they need.
West heads north
Brittany West planned to build a life with her fiancé and their new baby in Orange County, a place that’s lauded as ideal for raising children.
But it’s become more difficult to make ends meet, even though West and her fiancé, Ben, both have solid incomes.
Modest rent hikes on their Irvine condominium, higher prices for basic goods and costly child care for their 9-month-old son have pushed the couple to start planning to abandon Orange County for more affordable digs in the Sacramento area.
It’s a move they’ve long resisted, but they see few other viable options.
“We don’t want to leave. It’s beautiful here. Our friends are here. My fiancé’s family is here. We’ve built a community in Orange County,” West, 32, said. “We just can’t afford to live here.”
What do the numbers say?
More than 50% of poll respondents are considered “potential leavers,” with women, people younger than 40, nonwhite residents and those without a college education being more likely to depart than others.
Among people who have considered leaving Orange County, 78% list the cost of housing as a very important factor. The cost of living was a close second at 76%, ahead of other quality-of-life issues including taxes, crime, traffic, the job market, the political climate and proximity to family outside the region, according to the poll.
Even those who have recently moved to the county say that the cost of housing is a serious problem. Among recent arrivals surveyed, 71% cited the lack of affordable housing as their biggest issue, ahead of traffic, homelessness, local leadership, taxes, over-development and crime.
Rental prices in Orange County jumped 22% in 2021 before leveling out a year later and increasing modestly in 2023. Prices have been on the rise again this year, according to data from Apartment List.
In Irvine, the average price for a one-bedroom rental in August is more than $2,500 per month, up just under 1% from last year. In Anaheim, the median rent for a one-bedroom is just under $2,000 and is up 1.8% from 2023.
“What the poll is telling us is there’s a giant storm that’s brewing that may very well unleash itself on the county with the problem of the lack of affordable housing,” said UCI School of Social Ecology Dean Jon Gould, who spearheaded the poll.
What can be done?
The state has been pushing cities to build more homes, with lawmakers requiring local governments to allow increased housing development and density. Nevertheless, the shortage remains acute.
In 2020, the Southern California Assn. of Governments directed Orange County to zone for about 183,000 additional units. Many cities have pushed back, arguing that so many more homes will more rapidly urbanize their suburban communities.
“Orange County is a place people want to be,” Gould said, “and I guess what’s surprising is we have not yet seen across the county the kind of coordinated leadership to address the issues that are potentially driving people away.”
For more on the issue, check out the latest from reporter Hannah Fry.
The week’s biggest stories
(Francisco Seco / Associated Press)
Olympic Games
Crime, courts, regulations and policing
- ‘El Mayo’ Zambada: Assassination in Mexico occurred during kidnapping by El Chapo’s son.
- As burglars torment L.A. neighborhood, anxious residents consider buying guns, hiring security.
- City Council boosts copper wire theft crackdown with $200,000. Critics call it a waste.
- ‘This bus just got hijacked.’ Fight to make L.A. transit safer embroiled in infighting, lawsuit says.
- L.A. police officials say they cannot enforce new measure targeting Airbnb party houses.
- Woman killed in apparent dog attack in Northern California. Police find 25 Great Danes roaming the area.
- San Gabriel Valley man tried to ship a literal ton of meth to Australia, feds say.
- Executives at voting machine company Smartmatic indicted for alleged bribery scheme.
- L.A. woman held in Russia over charity donation faces 15 years in prison in ‘treason’ trial.
- Out-of-state murder suspect fatally shot by authorities in Anaheim, police say.
- San Diego Unified left students ‘vulnerable’ to sex abuse, federal officials say, but that ends now.
- O, say can you see: American flag flies again, legally, at California retailer.
Politics and Elections
Wildfires and climate
Nature and earthquakes
Homelessness and transportation
Art and entertainment news
In Memoriam
- Susan Wojcicki, internet pioneer at Google and YouTube, dies at 56.
- Robert Logan, ‘77 Sunset Strip’ star and adventure film icon, dies at 82.
- Kevin Sullivan, pro wrestler known as ‘The Taskmaster,’ dies three months after accident.
- Chi Chi Rodriguez, Hall of Fame golfer known for antics on the greens, dies at 88.
- Connie Chiume, South African actor known for ‘Black Panther’ role, dies at 72.
More big stories
Get unlimited access to the Los Angeles Times. Subscribe here.
Column One
Column One is The Times’ home for narrative and longform journalism. Here’s a great piece from this week:
(Ross May / Los Angeles Times; Photos by Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times; Aurelien Morissard; Luca Bruno; Frank Franklin II; Altaf Qadri / AP)
The U.S. soccer team, which won the women’s gold-medal game at the Paris Olympics on Saturday, has five players from California. All four U.S. beach volleyball players who advanced to the quarterfinals are Californians, as are 11 of the 13 women on the water polo team, who advanced to the bronze-medal game. In fact, everywhere Team USA has competed in these Paris Olympics, chances are a Californian or three were involved.