Fairfax, Virginia

Los Angeles's Fairfax District, once a thriving symbol of the California dream, is grappling with a roughly 20% storefront vacancy rate, crumbling sidewalks, and struggling businesses, including the well-known comedy club The Dime, which now faces closure. Local leaders, including LA Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky, acknowledge the neighborhood's streets need repair and that the COVID-19 pandemic dealt a severe blow to retailers already losing ground to online shopping.

The district has struggled to recover from lockdowns imposed during the pandemic and from unrest in late May 2020, when protests tied to the Black Lives Matter movement turned destructive, with rioters smashing storefronts and setting police cars ablaze. Business owners say they felt abandoned as the city failed to protect them. Rising sales taxes, including a countywide increase approved by voters in June, add further strain. Rebuilding the area, observers say, will require renewed jobs tied to Hollywood, infrastructure fixes, homeless encampment cleanup, and restored public safety.