http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/27/us/california-today-los-angeles-housing-costs.html 2016-09-27 15:01:13 California Today: ‘Sticker Shock’ in Los Angeles Housing Tuesday: The whopping cost of living in Los Angeles, a fire threatens homes in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and a Bill Walton statue divides San Diegans. === Good morning. Welcome to California Today, a Tell us about the Want to receive California Today by email? Let’s turn it over to What does it take to be middle class in Los Angeles? That was the question Ross DeVol started out asking himself when he began calculating how much a resident would need to make to spend 30 percent of earned income on rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Los Angeles County. The answer: a whopping $145,000. “It really challenges what we think of what we speak of the middle income family,” said Mr. DeVol, a researcher with the To arrive at the figure, Mr. DeVol used median rents in the county, with a two-bedroom landing at roughly $2,000, a figure that varies greatly, of course, on the exact location. (A two-bedroom in Santa Monica, for example, is far higher than a two-bedroom in Glendale.) Mr. DeVol then looked at tax brackets to arrive at his conclusion. It’s not simply a matter of complaining about the rent being too high, Mr. DeVol explained. It presents a challenge to the economy, forcing many would-be Angelenos out of the city and into the surrounding suburbs or even out of state. The problem stems in part from the fact that more jobs have been created in the city than new housing. And though Los Angeles has not yet reached San Francisco-sized rents, economists like Mr. DeVol worry that it will stop the city from growing. “It becomes a real challenge for companies recruiting people,” he said, invoking his own experience in trying to get new employees. “There’s a real sticker shock in getting them to come here. What we think of as approaching the middle class barely gets you there here.” The median income in the county is roughly $45,000, Mr. DeVol said. And by some estimates people spend an average of half their income on rent today, he added. “I really fear losing a big chunk of families and an economy that is vibrant enough to sustain it in the future,” Mr. DeVol said. What’s your experience of rising rents in the region? How much of your paycheck goes to rent or mortgage? How have you dealt with the climbing costs of housing? Share your story with us: See reporting in The New York Times on the Nov. 8 ballot initiatives: And dig into analyses of all 17 statewide measures by the • A • Small marijuana growers are hoping that • Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation that • There is only one newspaper in California that has • The United States sued Palantir Technologies, a prominent software start-up in Palo Alto, charging • • With soaring property crime, • • The food at Kali in Los Angeles is built on the pure flavors packed into • Bill Walton, lovable giant and So over the summer, when a group of benefactors offered the main airport a $200,000 bronze statue of him — arms outstretched as if to welcome travelers — it seemed like a no-brainer gift for the city.- But, in a decision that has touched off debates over the role of public art and the meaning of Mr. Walton’s legacy, the airport said, in effect, no thanks. Mr. Walton was born just outside San Diego, became a high school basketball star there and later, in the N.B.A., a household name. As a retiree, back in San Diego, he has been a prolific philanthropist. “Bill Walton might be the most San Diego thing about San Diego,” said Bryce Miller, a San Diego Union-Tribune columnist That’s why a private group commissioned the 6-foot-11-inch sculpture, which But in a letter to organizers this month, the airport brought up the costs of upkeep, and said it would be unfair to elevate Mr. Walton above other luminaries. It also faults the statue for not showing Mr. Walton with a basketball. In a statement on Monday, the airport said there was “no question” Mr. Walton deserved recognition, adding that it would consider displaying the statue for a short period. The public reaction, judging by discussion online, has been passionate. An unscientific poll showed strong support for the statue. But some called it “ugly” or better suited to a sports bar. Organizers are hoping the controversy will lead the airport to reconsider. If it doesn’t, there will certainly be other options. Folks in Portland, Ore., for one, where Mr. Walton was a Trail Blazer, California Today goes live at 6 a.m. Pacific time weekdays. Tell us what you want to see: The California Today columnist, Mike McPhate, is a third-generation Californian — born outside Sacramento and raised in San Juan Capistrano. He lives in Davis. California Today is edited by Julie Bloom, who grew up in Los Angeles and attended U.C. Berkeley.