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Los Angeles Mayor Blames ‘Housing, Housing and Housing’ for Urban Exodus

  • LA County’s population plunged 160,000 in the pandemic year
  • Median single-family home price up 84% since Garcetti elected
Eric Garcetti speaks during an interview in Los Angeles on March 25.
Eric Garcetti speaks during an interview in Los Angeles on March 25.Photographer: Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg
Updated on

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti blamed high housing costs for the surge of people moving out of the second-largest U.S. city.

LA County lost 160,000 residents during the 12 months through July 1, the biggest population drop of any U.S. county, according to a U.S. Census report released last week. That accounted for almost two-thirds of the declines in California, the most populous state.