Is LA recovering from the recession? Why so many texans moving back to CA? (Los Angeles: apartment, to rent)

[wehotex]

Originally Posted by BarcelonaFan

In Houston there is Section 8 discrimination in higher cost areas. Blatantly too. So you will not see people on welfare living in nice housing. Which is a bummer since that makes inequality even worse.
I met a girl from Seattle in Houston who was upset because of how low people in Houston felt about Section 8 and how she had a really hard time looking for a place when she moved to Houston because of the stigma around Sec 8.

The social, city, state and even local services suck big time. Not that LA is better but Houston and Texas safety nets and programs are horrible. We're lucky the State did not secede because without the Federal Government Texas would be a wasteland.

Slums are real deal slums, not working class neighborhoods with bad people living in them like in most LA ghettos.

The inequality I think is worse in LA though as far as just income goes. Way more people are just struggling to get by as LA is a way more working poor class town than Houston is.

Yes, but I don't buy your argument that Section 8 shelter should be allowed in affluent neighborhoods. I think that most ppl that live in those affluent neighborhoods worked really hard to get there and don't need the added crime and traffic that is associated with Section 8 renters. I've never heard of Section 8 housing in Beverly Hills either.
Yes, you're right about the State government of Texas being so miserly. Texans don't enjoy the many protections that Californians have like State Disability Insurance, Labor Board protections, an EDD more in favor of the worker than other states, more environmental protections. The list goes on and on.

Renting is more tolerable for younger people, but gets to be a PITA as you age. I was fortunate enough to live in a rent-controlled apartment in west hollywood at one time, where my rent was $522/mo. Had I known that the real estate market would be turned upside down and never return to the way it was, I would have stayed there. Had I bought a home back then, I'd be sitting pretty now without the worries of skyrocketing rents. Could, woulda, shoulda.

[BarcelonaFan]

Yes, but I don't buy your argument that Section 8 shelter should be allowed in affluent neighborhoods. I think that most ppl that live in those affluent neighborhoods worked really hard to get there and don't need the added crime and traffic that is associated with Section 8 renters.

But not all Section 8 renters are somehow crime ridden souls. C'mon man!

The people from out of State that I met that were trying to rent into my apt complex back in midtown Houston were generally from the West Coast and looked as "normal" as anyone else and were furious that there was such rampant section 8 discrimination that literally forced them into ghetto apartments where crime is rampant.

Section 8 discrimination is based on race in the South because the poorest hardest hit are people of color, so landlords tend to not want more African Americans and Latinos in their more well affluent apartment complexes so they use the section 8 discrimination as a means of barring them from entry.

In California I've noticed less racism and even a good intolerance of it, which I like but I am surprised that outside of a few neighborhoods, there is blatant classism that people seem to rarely address. Economic discrimination is a real thing and it is pretty bold in the more upper crust areas of LA.

I like how I read something in Echo Park about a local service being met without discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, race and economic status/income. It shows that there is a progressive turn to combat the surging class discrimination. West Hollywood is supposedly a really progressive place that made it’s mark with championing affordable housing but as you can see it’s just that in name only and they too have capitulated to developer interests.

[kttam186290]

Originally Posted by wehotex

Yes, but I don't buy your argument that Section 8 shelter should be allowed in affluent neighborhoods. I think that most ppl that live in those affluent neighborhoods worked really hard to get there and don't need the added crime and traffic that is associated with Section 8 renters. I've never heard of Section 8 housing in Beverly Hills either.
.

I'm glad everyone is looking out for the rich and affluent here (as if they need looking out for?), but I'm going to take this a step further and ask: why should middle class people be stuck with Section 8 either? Most of the middle class work hard too and it is an absolute travesty when you and your neighbors put a great deal of time and effort into keep your houses up, just to have a bunch of hoodrats move in and destroy all of that in a matter of weeks.

Section 8 has got to be one of the most failed programs in existence and the bane of middle class suburban America.

[kttam186290]

Originally Posted by BarcelonaFan

But not all Section 8 renters are somehow crime ridden souls. C'mon man!

The people from out of State that I met that were trying to rent into my apt complex back in midtown Houston were generally from the West Coast and looked as "normal" as anyone else and were furious that there was such rampant section 8 discrimination that literally forced them into ghetto apartments where crime is rampant.

Right, because these people who take government housing assistance think they're somehow entitled to a McMansion in the suburbs somewhere...?

[wehotex]

Originally Posted by kttam186290

I'm glad everyone is looking out for the rich and affluent here (as if they need looking out for?), but I'm going to take this a step further and ask: why should middle class people be stuck with Section 8 either? Most of the middle class work hard too and it is an absolute travesty when you and your neighbors put a great deal of time and effort into keep your houses up, just to have a bunch of hoodrats move in and destroy all of that in a matter of weeks.

Section 8 has got to be one of the most failed programs in existence and the bane of middle class suburban America.

That's what I truly meant to say. I only used BH as a point of reference. They wanted to put low income housing in SAn Antonio in the Stone Oak area, a well to do area. Homeowners protested and it didn't pass. My BIL and sister are pretty well off, but it's because of luck and hard work. Why should low income housing be in his hood?

[BarcelonaFan]

Originally Posted by kttam186290

Right, because these people who take government housing assistance think they're somehow entitled to a McMansion in the suburbs somewhere...?

Entilted? LOL So essentially that if you receive government housing assitance you must live in the ghetto?

[BarcelonaFan]

Why should low income housing be in his hood?

Yes, why should low income people be near him? The travesty! LOL.

What's funny is that the majority of Americans think of themselves as "middle class" and are so much more different than lower income people.

[jm1982]

Who can really define what middle class is anymore. Especially in L.A ?

Politicians always use the term middle class because so many people view themselves as middle class.

But can anyone really define what that means?...

Average household income in L.A is $56k...but I don't feel that allows one a "nice middle class existence"

[BarcelonaFan]

Exactly. "Middle Class" is a catchall term these days used by politicians to act like they're looking out for the interests of the majority. The true middle class is actually a lot smaller. I also don't just look at it as based on income but where on the totem pole you stand in relation to your job.

Most of America is working class no matter how many times they deny it . This middle class myth is what keeps Americans from relating to people have fallen through the cracks.

[jm1982]

Yeah I do agree. You notice that politicians don't pander/gear their rhetoric towards the poor , because a lot of the poor think they are middle class or strive to be middle class.

It seems one central middle class 'ideal' is owning a home. Many people do own a home in L.A , but many also don't, especially those under a certain age.

Is someone that graduated from college but can only afford to rent considered middle class in L.A?

I think it's kind of a joke trying to categorize people like this.