If you ask LA voters what they care about in 2026, five issues come up over and over. Here's where the major candidates actually stand on each one — and what a vote for any of them actually means.
1 Homelessness and encampments
No issue dominates LA politics more. Estimates put the unhoused population in LA County at around 75,000 people — though the actual number is likely higher. Voters are split not on whether this is a crisis, but on how to solve it.
The fault line runs between two philosophies: homelessness is primarily a housing problem (solution: more housing, more services, more patience) — or primarily a public order problem involving addiction and mental illness (solution: enforcement, mandatory treatment, accountability).
In the Mayor's race, Raman represents the first camp, Pratt the second, and Bass tries to occupy the middle. In the Governor's race, Becerra and Steyer lean toward housing investment; Hilton leans toward enforcement and accountability.
If this is your top issue: your candidate depends on which philosophy you hold. The WhoDoIVoteFor quiz asks specifically how you think about encampment enforcement, shelter requirements, and treatment programs — and matches you accordingly.
2 Housing costs and rent
The median rent for a one-bedroom apartment in LA is over $2,300/month. Homeownership is out of reach for most working Angelenos under 40. This is a slow-moving crisis that has been building for two decades, and no candidate has a magic solution.
The disagreement is between those who believe more supply is the answer and those who believe stronger tenant protections are the answer. Raman has the strongest renter-protection platform in the Mayor's race. Pratt wants to cut regulations to build more market-rate housing. Bass is somewhere in between. For Governor, Hilton is the most aggressive on deregulation to increase supply; Becerra supports more public affordable housing investment.
If this is your top issue: Are you a renter who wants protection from rent increases? Or someone who wants more housing built so prices come down? Those lead to different candidates.
3 Crime and public safety
Violent crime in LA peaked in 2022 and has been declining — but property crime, car break-ins, and retail theft remain high, and the perception of unsafe streets is a powerful political force regardless of the statistics.
Pratt in the Mayor's race and Hilton in the Governor's race are the clearest voices for the enforcement camp. Raman and Becerra are more reform-oriented. Bass and Steyer sit in the middle.
If this is your top issue: This is one of the clearest ideological divides in this election. Your position on criminal justice reform almost perfectly predicts your candidate preference.
4 Wildfire preparedness and climate
The January 2025 Palisades and Eaton fires killed dozens of people, destroyed thousands of homes, and exposed catastrophic failures in LAFD staffing, fire hydrant water pressure, evacuation coordination, and early warning systems. For many LA voters — especially in the hills and the west side — this is the defining issue of 2026.
The question is whether you see the wildfire crisis as a local accountability problem (Bass was out of the country; the city was unprepared) or a systemic climate problem requiring long-term infrastructure investment. Pratt and Hilton have made accountability arguments. Raman, Becerra, and Steyer frame it as a climate and infrastructure investment issue.
If this is your top issue: Do you want to hold the incumbent accountable, or do you want a long-term climate response? Those lead to very different votes.
5 City services and quality of life
Potholes. Broken streetlights. Slow permitting. Trash pickup. Park maintenance. These issues may not dominate the news cycle but they dominate neighborhood Facebook groups, Nextdoor threads, and conversations at coffee shops across the city.
This is where voters across the political spectrum often agree: the city government is slow, bureaucratic, and unresponsive. Where they disagree is on the solution — cut government and deregulate (Pratt, Hilton) or reform and invest in services (Raman, Becerra).
If this is your top issue: You probably want a candidate who has a specific, operational plan for city services — not just a vision statement. Ask what each candidate has actually done to improve city services, not just what they promise.
How to turn your concerns into a ballot decision
These five issues don't exist in isolation, and every voter weights them differently. A homeowner in Brentwood who lost friends in the Palisades fires has a different priority set than a renter in Boyle Heights worried about eviction. The WhoDoIVoteFor quiz lets you weight your concerns by importance — then shows you how every candidate on your entire ballot aligns with your specific combination of priorities.
It covers all 13 races, takes two minutes, and the Mayor's race is free.