Over the weekend, the streets of downtown Los Angeles were crowded with more than a hundred protestors, voicing their exasperation over the escalating cost of living in California. In an energetic demonstration, participants were seen holding signs with calls to "Raise the wages, lower the rent," as reported by FOX LA. The frustration stems from the fact that according to a recent US News report, living costs in California are 30 percent higher than the national average, putting an immense strain on the workforce including individuals like Liliana Hernandez, a housekeeper and single mother.
Marching across DTLA, a sense of urgency was palpable in the air, with Miracle McKinney stating, "It is way too high to the point where our people are moving out" as they move towards less expensive regions. "We should have wages that are decent enough where we can live in the city we work in," McKinney told FOX LA. Companies are being accused of price gouging, with no corresponding wage increases. Hernandez, who has been fortunate enough to secure a rent-controlled unit, highlighted that her co-workers aren't as fortunate, being forced to commute from distant communities like Palmdale and Bakersfield.
Simultaneously, around 1,000 marchers rallied for more affordable housing and enforcement of lower caps on rental units. Starting at Pershing Square, protestors' route included a pass by the 'Graffiti Towers', signaling to the city to repurpose such vacant properties for affordable housing. The demonstration was marked by the participation of workers, including those from the LA Live! area, who have been voicing the need for rental increase caps and a higher minimum wage. "We need the salaries to go up and the rent to go down," Hernandez insisted, in a statement obtained by FOX LA.
Politically, the focus of the marchers is on two proposed actions currently stagnated in city committees. One would reformulate the city’s rent control to cap increases at 3%, while another seeks a wage rise for "tourist workers" to $30 an hour by 2028, the year L.A. will host the Olympic Games. Echoing the sentiments of many workers, Estuardo Mazariegos, co-organizer and co-director of ACCE Los Angeles, said, "They are the folks that greet the world and they can't even live where they work," during the rally covered by Daily News. The coalition aims not only to boost wages but also to promote affordable housing projects and passes city ordinances to prevent further rental hikes.
Amidst the chorus for change, passerby Tajai Mcgehe summed up the collective mood, having been caught by the protest, "Wages aren’t going up, it’s tough out there," Mcgehe told FOX LA. "Lower rent, you can’t be mad about that. Makes me want to jump in and join them." The demonstrators hope that their spirited march will catch the attention of those in power and result in concrete actions to ease their financial burdens.
