LOS ANGELES — Former vice president Kamala Harris’ return to her Los Angeles home on Monday was meant to be a grand affair: After she was flown to LAX by an all-woman aircraft crew, she served food to wildfire evacuees and then thanked firefighters at a county fire station in Altadena.
But for her own neighbors in the ritzy Brentwood district in northern Los Angeles, the newly unemployed politician’s would-be triumphal entry brought jeers from some neighbors — and more traffic.
“I don’t care that she’s back, except that they block off the road whenever she comes to town,” said one resident who lives around the corner from Harris’ boudoir.
Harris has not revealed what she plans to do after her ouster from Washington, but last Friday she vowed not to “go quietly into the night,” strongly implying that she’ll stay active in politics.
And in the wake of weak showings by Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom during the worst disaster in Los Angeles history, the former vice president wasted no time trying to endear herself to her hometown.
“We wanted to come out … and just let people know that we see them and that they are cared for,” she told reporters from an LA County fire station mere hours after landing at LAX on Monday, after serving meals at a World Central Kitchen food station.
The next morning, Harris herself was nowhere to be seen, but least four black SUVs guarded the $4.8 million home of the failed presidential candidate while Secret Service personnel in earpieces and sunglasses milled about.
All outgoing vice presidents receive Secret Service protections for at least six months, but some neighbors find Harris’ personal G-men an eyesore.
“I’m embarrassed that she lives here, and I’m embarrassed that she represented the United States,” said one neighbor, a real estate investor who identified himself by first name, Lewis.
Lewis has been bitterly disappointed with Democratic leaders like LA Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom, particularly in the way they’ve handled crime, immigration, and wildfire preparedness.
Amid broad speculation that Harris could be plotting a gubernatorial run, he wants the former vice president as far from California politics as possible.
“Karen Bass, Gavin Newsom, they’ve destroyed my state. Kamala Harris will do exactly the same. I’d rather she find another state to destroy,” he said.
Other residents were happy for the return of who they see as a hometown hero.
“It’s tragic that she’s not in the White House, but it’s a delight to have her as a neighbor,” said retired lawyer Peggy Garrity.
Her neighbor, interior designer Morlene Keller, agreed.
“I wish she were back in Washington, but I’m happy to have her back,” she said.
Yet both Garrity and Keller recognized that their feelings don’t necessarily represent those of Brentwood — or Los Angeles in general.
“This neighborhood is a mixed bag. It’s not only super wealthy, and even among the wealthy, there is a mix of progressives and conservatives. Mostly, people find it annoying when they block off Sunset Boulevard,” Garrity said.
One resident, who preferred not to be named, doesn’t mind the politician living nearby.
But she said she has no business in California politics and would never vote for Harris in any election.
“She’s a good neighbor, but maybe she should just go back to the private life,” she said.
