WHO WE ARE

The Los Angeles New Liberals are a community of pragmatic, center-left Angelenos who believe honest analysis should drive politics instead of ideology, tribal loyalty, or reflexive opposition to change.

We are Liberals: we believe in democratic institutions, individual rights, property rights, competitive markets, and an open and welcoming society.

We are not:

• socialists: we do not believe state control of the economy is the path to a just or prosperous society

• conservatives: we welcome change, and reject efforts to preserve the status quo at the expense of those seeking economic opportunity. While we respect the need for public order, we reject those who simply want to push vulnerable neighbors out of the city

• libertarians: we believe in robust public institutions, a meaningful social safety net, and an active government role in solving collective problems

The Liberal tradition we claim—market economies, civil liberties, democratic accountability, and evidence-based governance—has done more to lift living standards and expand human freedom than any other.

In Los Angeles, this commitment puts us in direct confrontation with both sides of the local political culture. We oppose the no-growth status quo: NIMBYism, nativism, and a political system captured by incumbent interests (e.g., homeowner associations, politically connected unions) at the expense of the broader city. We also stand against performative progressivism that produces many of the same failures: claiming the mantle of “justice” while opposing new housing; using tax dollars to fund nonprofit networks that produce no public benefit; and treating markets as the enemy of the public good rather than one of its most powerful tools.

Both have failed to improve the lives of Angelenos. We're here to offer something better.

We are a chapter of the Center for New Liberalism, a network of 80+ chapters across the globe united around the same commitment to liberal principles and center-left pragmatism.

WHAT WE STAND FOR

Liberal Foundations

Individual freedom and choices. We believe people should be free to live their lives as they choose: who they love, how they worship, and how they build their families. LA's diversity is one of its greatest strengths, both in terms of the many kinds of people who live here and in the different ways they choose to embrace the fullness of life. We oppose any policy that discriminates or denies basic rights to anyone based on race, sex, gender, religion, or sexual orientation.

Democracy and the rule of law. We believe free speech, free association, equality before the law, and democratic representation are core to our society. We defend these principles even when they protect people we disagree with. In Los Angeles, that means every resident, regardless of where they live, where they came from, or how much they earn, should be able to speak freely, take part in civic life, and expect equal treatment from courts, agencies, and police.

Evidence over ideology. We support policies that work, regardless of their ideological roots or the powerful political interests they may upset. We try to be honest when questions are genuinely hard, when tradeoffs are real, and when we lack the expertise to take a firm position. Intellectual honesty is a core value.

An Abundant Los Angeles

Housing abundance. The Los Angeles housing crisis is first and foremost a crisis of supply that was created by choice. We have far too little housing thanks to decades of restrictive zoning, slow permitting, and organized obstruction from incumbent homeowners, which together have made this region unaffordable for too many. We support building more homes at all price points and in all neighborhoods: upzoning, modernized building codes, streamlined approvals, reforms to our antiquated property tax system, and cuts to unnecessary fees and red tape. The fix is to let the housing market actually function as one.

Technological optimism. Los Angeles is home to extraordinary ingenuity. We support the use of new technology in both the private and public sector that improves efficiency and therefore living standards. We embrace innovation rather than believing it should be regulated into irrelevance.

Safety net and upward mobility. We believe that a vital part of our city is ensuring that all residents have a chance to succeed, including those born into poverty. Our K-12 and higher education systems should aim for excellence, giving every child the tools to succeed, rather than being primarily driven by educational fads or the preferences of their employees. Our public assistance programs should be simpler and easier to navigate, and not designed with steep cliffs that penalize people as they get ahead.

Dynamic labor markets. A core part of abundance is making it easy for Angelenos to use their skills to achieve prosperity in the labor market. Too often, licensing regimes and credentials are used to protect incumbents at the expense of workers trying to break into an industry. We believe worker protections can coexist with flexible work, and that basic needs like health insurance shouldn't depend on holding a particular job, so that people can be free to change jobs, start businesses, and take risks.

An Open Los Angeles

Markets as engines of growth and progress. We believe market economies are extraordinarily effective at generating prosperity, spurring innovation, and expanding opportunity. Markets are the most powerful tools we have for coordinating human activity at scale. Where markets cannot address their own externalities, we support well-designed policy responses. Our starting point is that economic growth, private enterprise, and market competition are forces for good, not problems to be managed away. We also believe that dynamic markets come into being because of the risk-taking and innovation of everyday Angelenos. New business, from tech firms to taco trucks, should be welcome and encouraged by the city, not smothered in their cradle by red tape and paperwork.

Welcoming new Angelenos. Many Angelenos come to the city from somewhere else, whether from elsewhere in the United States or from another country (about one third of LA County residents were born abroad). We believe where you're born shouldn't determine your opportunities, and we believe that the ability to move is both a fundamental constitutional right and a vital source of economic dynamism for Los Angeles. Los Angeles thrives when we continue to welcome and make room for people who want to make this city home and add to its creativity, culture, and economy.

A Los Angeles That Works

Better mobility. A region of ten million cannot run on freeways alone. We support safe, reliable public transit, protected bike infrastructure, and other mobility options that let Angelenos live full lives here without needing a car. We also support reforms like congestion pricing and innovations like driverless cars as ways to make roads function more efficiently and safely.

Accountable and effective institutions. Effective policy requires a government that actually works. We support structural reforms—independent redistricting, stronger ethics oversight, and greater financial accountability for public dollars—that make local government in LA County more transparent, more responsive, and more capable. Public spending and policy choices should be judged by results, not intentions: taxpayers deserve to know that their money is producing measurable improvements, not just funding programs and nonprofits that sound good on paper.

Safe and livable communities. A functioning city requires public spaces where everyone feels safe. When neighborhoods feel unsafe, people stop walking, avoid transit, and stay home; businesses thin out; and economic opportunity moves elsewhere. We support well-resourced police, fire, and emergency services held to high standards of professionalism, transparency, and accountability, with real consequences when public trust is violated. Effective public safety is not a contradiction of progressive values, but is instead a prerequisite for the vibrant and welcoming Los Angeles we all want.

Building and maintaining excellent public space. In Los Angeles, our existing parks, streets, and sidewalks are too often in a state of disrepair, curbing quality of life, especially for those not wealthy enough to afford a private yard or club membership. Los Angeles does not even proactively track how many sidewalks need repair in the city, instead relying on citizens' complaints even when they take 10 years to respond. Los Angeles cannot be a world class city if we cannot maintain the simplest of public spaces.

JOIN US

Our membership isn't ideologically uniform, and we encourage differences of opinion around a shared commitment to Liberalism. If you live in Los Angeles or Orange County and believe in markets, evidence-based policy, and a future with a more functional and abundant Southern California, there’s a place for you here!

Visit this page to see how to get involved.