“The government you elect is the government you deserve.” ― Thomas Jefferson

America is Dying; - Beverly Hills is only small part of it..

When the Beverly Hills Hotel closes then you know its really over

Business owner here. California makes it hard on businesses because of taxes, regulations, and fees. They need money for the free stuff they give away. I left California In Dec 2023

Nobody wants to invest in a place where there’s no law and order , like nobody. Nobody with any sense anyway.

California had their chance to get rid of Newsome, but they kept him, so they got exactly what they voted for.

I was in Beverly Hills about a month ago, and I couldn't believe how empty and deteriorated the city was! It's a ghost town and SO many of the businesses and places that once made it special are GONE!! It's heartbreaking! 💔💔

Chicago too. Most of stores in Michigan avenue is closed. Business can’t survive from smash and grab.

High crime w no penalties. No brainer

Celebrities mean nothing anymore.

That's heartbreaking. indeed!! Berverly Hills represented a place that I didn't ever imagine would be financially crippled like THAT!!!! 😔

Very sad. As a former resident of BH before and during COVID, I watched the state of decline. I remember trying to drive home before getting stopped by an angry mob of people that was slowly descending into the town. Me and a few other alarmed motorists turned our cars around and hurried out. That was the first day of the infamous riots. We realized the police were powerless. I left BH and moved further west. Turns out the homeless problem is far worse the further west you go. But it's really the burglaries and robberies that are the scariest. My home was broken into twice, the second time a gunpoint. Using a firearm in the commission of a felony used to be a mandatory 'enhancement' charge but that's no longer the case. The police told me that simply breaking into my home and pointing a gun at me wasn't enough to escalate to a more serious response. Crazy thing is, we're not allowed to carry firearms in public or even in your vehicle to protect yourself. So robbers are pointing guns at shoppers in broad daylight at the local mall, or parking lot, or follow you home, and as you pull into your garage, point a gun at your face and take everything you own. Sounds like a movie, but it has been happening. So, people are rethinking going out in their fancy cars, wearing their fancy watches and jewelry and "being seen." Since BH is a town for exactly that - they are suffering quite a bit. L.A. is wild. I grew up in San Diego. We used to leave our front door unlocked! Never heard about any break ins. But that's only part of the story. As a business owner in L.A. we are seeing a permanent transition to remote work. People aren't commuting to offices anymore, and clients aren't requiring in-person meetings, so companies are ditching their expensive leases. It's amazing how much white collar work can be done using Zoom. BH has a huge supply of offices - above all of those retail stores there are countless offices. Without people coming to the offices, there are fewer patrons running errands locally or dining in BH. Ask any retail owner and they will measure their revenue in terms of "pre-pandemic" and post-pandemic. After the pandemic, business never really picked up - so even the big staples that were there for 20+ years didn't have enough revenue to sustain themselves.

That's one way to combat crime. Make it unaffordable for businesses to operate so they're forced to close. No stores, no theft. Brilliant! 🤦🏻

High rent and no punishment for people stealing their merch or the homeless guy doing drugs on their door mat. Thanks democrats.

Before COVID, I spent three years working as a tour guide in the area. It's disheartening to see all the change, so many business's closures and vacancies. It's more saddening to see the history and allure of entertainment, Hollywood, and Beverly Hills quickly fading away.

I moved out of LA almost 30 years ago and it was already declining since then. Rent prices were already ridiculous even back then which is why my family moved out. Best move we ever made 🙌🏻

They didn't go out of business. They fled California en masse. 🤷‍♂😂😂😂

As a small business owner in LA county, only a few miles from Beverly Hills, The government with all its regulations, ordinances and defund the police antics makes running a small business almost impossible. The middle class and small businesses are going away in California.

My sister and me were travel companions for years who hit the big cities of the world. We'd shop the great streets, pop in & out to see just what would catch our eye, chat with the sales people, rest at a fine bakery for coffee and a treat, shop some more, have lunch, dinner, drinks, people watch...It really was a sport with lasting memories. Even with the internet, we've lost a social bond with community. Those were the days.

Brick and mortar stores are definitely not what they used to be, but when you compare cities like Tampa to the Beverly Hills area, it really is like night and day. Tampa has been scaling their downtown over the last several years with additions like Waterstreet and Armature Works, trying to keep up with the influx of people. Some parts of the country are definitely feeling it more than others, but places like Florida have seen some of its biggest growth in decades.

When you are soft on crime you lose hard working people who won't stand for it!

This video should be on the national news, every station…. It is horrific to see this level of destruction.

I am shocked! The last time I was in Beverly Hills/Rodeo Drive (10 Years ago) it still was crowded and with full Bars, Restaurants and Shops. Now it just looks like an abandoned movie-set. No people, empty tables etc. I will not travel again there and I am glad that I experienced the best time of California in the 80s for the first time as a little boy and later as an exchange student in the 90s.

Our downtown was empty for many years , but developers transformed empty building into apartment buildings , and slowly with lots of people moving in , our downtown is alive again with visitors and locals .

A lot of businesses are leaving California or have left. Shoplifting on the rise because of soft on crime policies. High taxes. California is not a business-friendly state . Less tourists because of the crime, homeless problem, and increased cost of airfare,hotel rooms, and restaurants.

BH has been dying for awhile. Movie stars don’t all live there anymore, the Persian community took over since the 80s then they were replaced by Arabs. Slowly the great luxury shops closed. The black lives matter riots were a turning point. The riots showed Los Angeles residents on local TV that the police just stood by while rioters smashed and looted parts of LA like Melrose Ave with impunity. It was a shock to the system. So-called restorative justice, which really means no more law and order, began, vagrants all over the country learned you could camp out anywhere in LA and not be bothered, so that population exploded. Then the Covid lockdowns put the nails in the coffin, and growing lawlessness drove out many residents and businesses. We will not see the vibrant Los Angeles and grand Beverly Hills again in our lifetimes. RIP LA. RIP Beverly Hills. So, so sad.

I cant believe beverly hills even allows an ice cream truck there.

This was a real eye opener, this is what happens when your Government has no leadership or direction or innovation.

This is not just in Beverly Hills, this is happening everywhere.. and I fear that the worst is yet to come 😳

Shoplifting is killing retail in California. Not to mention the assaults and crime in general driving people away.

Please... Beverly Hills deserves what they are getting close stores. I am not crying for them either. That goes for Brentwood too

This is happening EVERYWHERE! It’s so sad! I think Covid made people realize they didn’t need to shop at brick and mortar stores anymore and it was just easier to buy online. There is honestly no coming back from this unless the internet completely shuts down.

I'm in LA now for work. It's really bad here. Last Monday I witnessed a fight that turned into a gun fight and I think one of the guys was killed. And tonight my co-workers car got broken into. They tried to steal it. I knew they would come back with a key so I took the fuses out. And they just came back less than an hour ago but couldn't get it. Every time I go anywhere the homeless are hassling me for money. The people drive like ass holes too, they cut you off and get mad at you like YOU did something wrong. It's filthy here and everything is so expensive. I hate LA and I used to love this place but it's changed too much. I'd get out if I was you brother.

I worked in Beverly Hills and Century City in 80's. It was thriving.

Oh dear, this is so disheartening and sad to see. These streets used to be so vibrant! Nice to walk around, shop and dine. The last time I was there was 2012, and thought of going this summer but after reading the current situation there and the lawlessness, I was skeptical and changed my mind. Even SF, sad to see its current situation. Was there around 6 years ago, when it was still vibrant too and I loved it. I do missed visiting CA as a whole, but it seems unsafe and dead now. And for someone who comes from Singapore, I just need to feel confident of my safety. Hope things will get better there and we can visit again. Stay safe everyone and God bless.🌸

Very interesting, no one wants to talk about this. Thank you for such interesting info and your sense of humour is so cute.

Beverly Hills is dying and we all know why….😮

Retail will never be the same in this country. High rents, theft, lack of accountability, online shopping all contributed to this. There are exceptions of course.

I remember as a teen in the 80's loved seeing videos of Rodeo Drive and the stars shopping there. I remember Michael Jackson always shopping there. Visited Rodeo for the 1st time in Sept 2020 and there were lines of not-wealthy young people waiting to get into the luxury stores. Realized they were probably taking 6 months of their paychecks to by a $250 shirt to post on Instagram. Then you had people racing with their loud cars up and down the street. The feeling of wealth and luxury that Rodeo Blvd defined back in the day was definitely gone.

it was the perfect storm online shopping, reality TV, UKposts, covid, economy, crime

I lived in L.A. for 44 years on and off, including in Beverly Hills for 10 of them. I hate to say it, but almost the second after Beverly Hills got ransacked in the 2020 riots, and then the same crowd inexplicably started piling into Beverly Hills every weekend and turning it into "the Shaw" of the 80's and 90's, Beverly Hills lost its mystique. Four years later, and videos like this are possible? It's not coincidence. It's that, and the L.A./CA political idiocy that has done this. Their own policies backfiring on CA businesses.

I'm sorry to see this. I lived in Beverly Hills for five years within walking distance of Rodeo Drive. I knew it was only a matter of time until the rot unleashed on LA would reach Beverly Hills, but actually seeing that come true is depressing. Most people think Beverly Hills is all glitzy shops and mansions perched on high hills. It's not. I lived in "the flats" with working people who live there for a clean, well-run, low-crime city. (58% of Beverly Hills residents are renters, as I was). If even Beverly Hills has gone this far, then California is past the point of no return.

Long time no see, bud! Good to see you are back! :))

Hi, buddy. Thanks for the side seeing. Greetings from Deventer, The Netherlands. 🐎

... I am just glad having been able to experience and enjoy L.A. in the 80s and 90s.

This is going to have a negative impact on the smash and grab industry in California. Good work Governor Newsome.

And now insurance companies are leaving, so I bet we will see MANY MORE buildings up for lease. Thanks for posting, I like seeing the actual streets.

I didn't expect Beverly Hills to be this vacant.

The news doesn't show this much truth. Wow...had no idea it was this sparse in Beverly Hills. Thanks German!!!!

It’s NOT just rent… it’s also crime. A ridiculous law was passed that allows people to shoplift and not be prosecuted. With all these stores out of business also shows how many people were experiencing job loss! So sad!!!

Loved the tour!😊

I visited Santa Monica in 2016 and it wasn't like this then. It was beautiful, a very lively place. Very friendly people. Lots and lots of stores, lots and lots of restaurants, beach was full of people during the day and the early evening, there was a small amusement park with rides and a ferris wheel on the pier. After about 11pm when everything closed, I stayed around on the street and I remember feeling so warm, so safe and like it was such a nice area. I didn't feel scared at all feeling alone on the street at night. It's so sad seeing what's happened to Santa Monica and I can't understand why it's been allowed to happen, not at all. Santa Monica was a beautiful place, it had to be one of the best places to go in LA. I do think a big part of what contributed to it is the way tourists are treated in LA. LAX is a horrible airport, it's honestly one of the worst airports I've been to, not the worst one (that would have to be Sharjah in the UAE) but it is definitely one of the worst. I remember the staff weren't particularly helpful, it was a very old, very big and very confusing airport, and the worst thing about it was the lack of public transport options. No airport train or monorail or MTR, which is incomprehensible for a city the size of LA. There was an option to take a bus to Union Station, and an option to take a minibus that left once every hour either to Venice Beach or to Santa Monica. I chose the minibus service. There was a notice on board the minibus service stating that it was being discontinued I believe as of October that year, meaning a city with already very few public transport options out of the airport for tourists would have even fewer (basically the bus to Union Station would be left and that'd be about it). They did have rental car services, but that wouldn't work for tourists like me who didn't drive/didn't have a credit card and were only in LA for a few days. From what I remember, there were plenty of passengers on board the minibus I took out to Santa Monica too, so it's not like nobody was using it. Just sheer greed and cutting corners. Places like Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Santa Barbara, Venice Beach and Hollywood are (or at least were) extremely popular with tourists. Tourists have money. If you don't maintain these places and you treat the tourists like crap and you undermine businesses' authority when they're trying to deal with thieves, what do you expect? Look at Singapore for example. Look at their airport, their crime policies, their public transport, their services. They have problems but they don't have crap like this.

Santa Monica is so dangerous now. My husband and I went last summer. Couldn’t believe the homelesss. I feared for my life. I meant transient not homeless. They are on drugs. ( edited) sorry for any confusion. Santa Monica is one of most unsafest cities listed in California now.

High crime...no penalties...what could possibly go wrong?

It’s like this in most places. Rents are too expensive for stores to remain open. This is were city councils could help with a rebate. Once stores start to close it’s the beginning of the end. New businesses aren’t going to open on a street that is half empty.

I remember Vidal Sassoon on Rodeo Drive. I had my hair done there on two occasions when I visited back in the mid eighties. Strange seeing it empty.

Thanks for sharing. The whole country is dying.

Large amounts of people leaving the state, activist judges, lazy police chiefs and leaders who are voted in are the big part of the problem.

All good things must come to an end. The next thing you know ...Beverly Hills is taken over by the unfortunate homeless. Wouldn't that be something! Where will those "untouchable-I am better than you" big shots go? Be wary folks, your decadent time is running out. Thanks my German friend. Keep up the good reporting.

It's sad to see the iconic Beverly Hills facing such challenges. High rents and the rise of online shopping are indeed reshaping the retail landscape, but perhaps innovative concepts and community-driven initiatives could breathe new life into these historic streets. 🛍

Shoplifting and online shopping is destroying retail. Not surprised at all. The economy is rubbish, people are careful with spending and just buy what they need and shop around for the best price.

The internet killed everything. Everything is viewed online, ordered online, and today is also lived online. Celebrities don't go out like they used to, and the average person doesn't have the money to afford all those restaurants, expensive boutiques, hairdressers... Today, people look online for recipes to cook dinner at home, people search online how to cut their own hair, people watch online youtubers how they sleep in a camper, not in Beverly Hills.

Thanks for providing real news..

thank you for the fun narrative tour! I've never been a California person so I have nothing to compare it to, but it's the Jay Luchs signs that concern me most. That dude has so many listings! Find Jay, and you'll find answers. Fishy Jay is what they call him. 😂😂😂😂

Thanks Newsome! That’s what he wants for America!

Why would you open a store in a place where a “group of teens” can just run in, steal all your products, and leave without any repercussions?

Thank you for this video.

Thank you so much for this video, I am shocked.

There is also a direct connection to the fact that Hollywood is dying people aren't interest in actors and musicians anymore so the stars cant afford to go to these places like they use to

A few years ago a guy shot a woman execution style and stole her diamond ring. Now locals are afraid to go there.

Thank you for this interesting tour...and greetings from Germany :)

😢😢 😢oh my god 😱 im so sad Beverly Hills id dead 😭. Thanks so much for this wonderful video. U are the best .this the reality. ❤

Not good for restaurants since Newsom decided $20 an hour was a great idea. Plus since crime is legal in California there's no interest in opening in that city or any city in the state. Thanks for taking the walk. They won't be back.

Expectation: glitz and glamour Reality: zombie apocalypse

Subbed! Good content man

excellent reporting, thanks GIV

Im from England and so many shops throughout our country are exactly the same. Seems to be everywhere. Really sad.

People say "Retail is dying". But you can go to a country like Australia and the malls are absolutely thriving. They are still building multi story malls across the country. The difference is you go to jail in Australia for shoplifting and for being anti social in public.

this video shocked me. i spent many saturday mornings with my family at Nate'N Als,then would stroll around shopping. i mean we werent going to Bijan, but there were lots of interesting stores like gearys and cloths stores. I would say this was around the late 70's and the early 80's. beverly hills was great then. i now live in las vegas, so this video was the first i have seen beverly hills in probably 20/25 years

The internet/online shopping is killing a lot of brick and mortar stores at first it was big box killing mom and pop shops now the big box facing a bigger threat. Commercial real estate better turn into residential really quick if they want a future because it's not coming back any time soon. Sad to see really the world's changing very fast.

I visited California last year, the only civilized and non-filthy place in L.A.was Beverly Hills, Hollywood and Santa Monica were shocking, full of homeless on Fentanyl and garbage everywhere, hanging around between Monaco, Dubai and St.Moritz I couldn’t find any”glitz & glamour” even on Rodeo Drive; I was wondering how long would take Beverly Hills to fall dawn as well. Thanks. for showing reality❤

My parents proudly left California in 1995... Best decision for our family ever.

Yes, BH rocked in the 60s, 70s, 80s & 90's - Sad, indeed to see the decline - I still have my Tommy Hilfiger sneakers I bought for our Christmas party in the Bank Bldg at Wilshire & Canon - wonder if the Law Firms are still upstairs ... Guess bothing lasts forever😉😎

E commerce has also made a big difference to retail trade now people sit at home on the PC and order product that gets dropped on their home door step, all at the expense of the retailers who pay premium rents and overheads. this is a world wide shift in shopping

JMHO: There are several factors involved. 1: Shoplifting being allowed, and not punished. 2: Hollywood elites expecting to be given free goods and services to wear to events, in exchange for being a "social influencer". They feel that they are advertising, and there are people paid extraordinary amounts of money who lurk throughout this district, demanding free stuff, for their clients, to wear to events, and call it "advertising". When the people who can afford to pay the premium price for an expensive item, demand it for free... and the middle class is struggling to make ends meet, one does not have clients. The truths about the lifestyles, and the sins of some celebrities, have become so well-known, that it is contributing to the decline of their industry. Those who live nearby, and working in the film industry, must be alarmed, and desperately looking for work. Unlike the great depression, people in the current crisis, don't want to see privileged people, who display bad behavior, decked out at parties, and sashaying into an awards ceremony, wearing items they could only dream of affording. The bubble has burst.

Television shows depicts Beverly Hills as “best of the best” stores but this is “cold hard facts” of the retail industry. Amazon is “Rodeo Drive”

Wow! So surprising this has so much damaged the reputation of Beverly Hills. Rodeo drive I used to shop there years ago. I used to have a friend working at Gucci and Burberry his name is Michael Isreal. He does not work in Rodeo anymore. He works now in downtown New York. 💚🙂

So sad, i remember when i was there in the late 1990s i saw famous faces...glamorous life styles...so depressing now ..

Omgosh! I can’t believe it! Yes it’s the rent. I lived there in mid-late 80s as a teen. It was SO beautiful. People EVERYWHERE. Outdoor cafes, all of the high end shops, and OH the Cars! It was just the whole atmosphere. Even the AIR smelled good. This is sad. San Diego is home now, all of LA is Dead.

if the rich arent spending, no one is

We live couple years in San Diego we drive going to Beverly hills beautiful now out of business also new York too

I used to work for Cedars Sinai Medical Center which is right next to all of that & it was super nice back in 2017, busy & bustling with people, businesses booming. This is really sad of wut it used to be just a few years ago too.

The movie industry in Hollywood is on a sinking ship. Many of their lead players are headed to jail.

10 years ago I gave up hope on California after almost 50 years. I spent an my youth and adulthood surfing HB, going to local races, music events in Hollyweird, car culture and great weather. But eventually I had no more tolerance for wokeism and my family had been there since the 1940's. Businesses do not just close for nothing - they stop the bleeding and move on to a better location just as I did with my small business. Thanks for reminding me of a very good life decision.

Caffe Roma had their rent doubled according to a little google work~ they refused to oblige ... I thought this video was going to show a few vacancies NOT THE ENTIRE freagin' town.!! I lived in Santa Monica from '97 to '04 ~ had a rent control 2 bedroom on Ocean and Palisades Ave. ( 1 block north of Montana) right across from the park that overlooked S.M. Beach ~ the day I moved out the rent went from $2,450 to $5,300. That was 20 years ago.... its gotta be 7-8k now ?? Who knows. So much has happened in 20 plus ..From what I understand I wouldn't even recognize the 3rd Street Promenade today~ much less the boulevard.

All cities are losing shops. Life is soo different. San Francisco downtown is almost 80% empty. Such a shame. I live in a "upscale" (im not rich) suburb and during covid, i swear those rich people shopped, still do. Weird.

People get what they vote for. Thank you for showing the truth GIV.

I'm a retired building contractor, but when I was still in biz I had several jobs running in Beverly Hills, some of which began before and some of which were completed during Covid. To see how the town was before and after Covid is a shocking study in contrast. But I do have an explanation for why the world's richest people can't sustain the businesses in BH. It's because they don't go out shopping as much as they used to. They are addicted to ordering from Amazon and other online sites. Also, if they want to be fitted for a new suit, they have a tailor visit them with massive bolts of fabrics and a shop on wheels and they make them what they want when they want it. I can't even explain how the rich live compared to the rest of us. It's The Twilight Zone. And since we're talking about the richest people in the world keep in mind that many are not fulltime residences anywhere. They spend four months in BH then Zurich then Paris or London, Manhattan. The old Hollywood crowd was actually a bit more homebound, often frequenting Brooks Bros and The Friar's Club, etc. You have a very different kind of wealth in BH now.

I had no idea. This is a bad sign for the rest of the country. It would be better if Beverly Hills became like a Monaco 🇲🇨. A separate country like in Europe. It would probably be fine.

Not dying - dead. I went there in 2001 and even then, I could see the rot was terminal. In the early 1960s it was heavenly.