The theme of this TV ad sponsored by the government employee unions in California may sound like a laughable spoof, but it isn’t.

Right track? That’s not what the people who live (or lived!) there think.

• In the UCLA Los Angeles County Quality of Life Index, resident satisfaction hit a record-low 52 out of 100, driven by intense economic anxiety.
• The average rent in LA sits at approximately $2,600 a month.
• Los Angeles County has experienced one of the highest population declines in the U.S. over the last five years, losing over 320,000 in total population.
• Los Angeles has allocated $1 billion to homelessness with less than 15% of the money getting the homeless off the streets.
• Los Angeles levies some of the highest combined tax rates in the nation, featuring a state top income tax rate of 13.3% climbing to 14.6% with payroll taxes, a combined sales tax up to 10.5%, and a city “mansion tax” of up to 5.5%.

Hey L.A.: The first stage of recovery is to admit you have a problem.