I hope this bubble bursts. In less than 3 years the rent in our working class city went up 45%. Not to mention the absurd qualifications one needs to rent. 4 times the income to rent, very good credit and background checks. This is not sustainable for working class people.
A big part of why Los Angeles is a living hell for most people is due to rapid recent increases in rent.
LA is this disgusting place where a very very small number of people are doing exceptionally well, and almost everyone is either homeless or half a paycheck away from that.
The only saving grace is these obscene rent increases appear to be isolated to a few select markets. In most of America you haven’t seen anything like the rent inflation normal in Los Angeles. If possible, consider moving. These issues have come about over the last 30 years, they won’t be fixed in the next three.
I moved out of LA my cost of living dropped by about 30% overnight, and it was much easier to meet nice people. I’ve long considered writing a book about just how much moving to a different city can fix your life. Most behavior is ultimately economic, if you and no one you know can get their lives together and move out, none well.
In LA this spirals into a nasty entitlement complex, leading to various yucky situations better avoided.