Good morning, it’s Thursday, May 21. You can expect some toasty weather with a high of 82.
1. Animal rights advocates have a dog in the fight over who will be the next mayor.
L.A. Material illustration. (Photos by Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times Amy Sussman/Getty Images for LACMA, Mario Tama/Getty Images, Roy Rochlin/Getty Images, Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for BabyGay & The Black Cat, Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Los Angeles has long had its share of single-issue voters: There are preservationist-minded NIMBYs, who live and breathe slow growth; and voters on both sides of the policing divide, who are uniquely concerned with whether the city is spending enough — or too much— on its police force.
But amid the ongoing travails of the city’s beleaguered animal services department, another class of single-issue citizen has become increasingly vocal this election cycle. Meet the animal welfare voters: people for whom the suffering of animals trump concerns about crime, housing, or traffic.
They may only account for a smidgen of the electorate, but they’ve found their way into the algorithm. In recent weeks, almost all the mayoral candidates have featured dogs on their campaign pages.
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