Dodgers' Zack Greinke looks OK in win over Mets, 7-4

Pitching seven innings and earning his first victory of the month in the Dodgers' 7-4 victory over the New York Mets, Zack Greinke sounded certain his elbow was no longer a problem.

"Hopefully, that's how it stays," Greinke said.

Greinke was originally scheduled to pitch two days earlier against the San Diego Padres, but his turn in the rotation was pushed back to Saturday because of inflammation in his right elbow.

Greinke was unusually upbeat about his performance, considering he served up two home runs that resulted in four runs for the visitors.

"I thought I pitched really well," he said.

He also downplayed Manager Don Mattingly's concerns about how his arm might feel Sunday morning.

"I think I'm fine," Greinke said. "I'm pretty confident I'll be fine tomorrow."

That would come as a significant relief to the Dodgers, who have already moved journeyman Kevin Correia into the rotation to replace a sidelined Hyun-Jin Ryu.

The team would like for Greinke's comeback to be start of a trend. They are expected to get back another key player Sunday for the final game of the three-game series at Dodger Stadium, as shortstop Hanley Ramirez remains on track to be activated from the 15-day disabled list. Ramirez was placed on the DL on Aug. 10 with a strained side muscle.

"If he's good to go, I plan on playing him," Mattingly said.

The returns of Greinke and Ramirez could offer the Dodgers a chance to further extend their lead over the second-place San Francisco Giants in the National League West, which is now 41/2 games.

While Greinke was far from his best Saturday night, he offered reasons for the Dodgers to be encouraged.

"If you didn't know anything, nobody would have even mentioned anything," Mattingly said.

Greinke (13-8) threw 105 pitches over seven innings. Of the four runs he gave up, three were earned. He gave up nine hits, struck out four and walked one.

The win was his first since July 25 and only the second in his last eight starts.

Greinke appeared to have no trouble warming up, as he threw 12 pitches in a scoreless first inning, all of them fastballs and all between 91-94 mph.

He was also able to pitch out of early trouble. With Travis d'Arnaud at second base in the second inning, Greinke forced Matt den Dekker to ground out to end the inning. An inning later, Greinke gave up a one-out double to pitcher Jacob deGrom, but the Dodgers got out of the inning unscathed, as Greinke got Curtis Granderson to fly out to right field and struck out Daniel Murphy.

The Mets took a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning on a three-run home run by Juan Lagares, and Greinke served up another home run in the sixth inning, a solo shot by Lucas Duda. That homer was the fifth given up by Greinke in his last four starts.

But Greinke wasn't particularly upset with himself for the home runs, saying Lagares and Duda hit well-placed pitches.

Greinke pitched his way out of a jam in the seventh inning to preserve a 5-4 lead. With one out and pinch-runner Eric Young Jr. on second base, Greinke struck out Granderson, intentionally walked Murphy to face David Wright, and struck out Wright for the third out.

The Dodgers scored two runs in the bottom of the inning for a three-run cushion, and the bullpen took it from there.

Follow Dylan Hernandez on Twitter @dylanohernandez

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Landon Donovan pads his scoring record

Landon Donovan added another footnote to his farewell season.

The star forward scored in just the fourth minute Saturday night to pad his career scoring record and lead the Galaxy to a 2-0 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps at StubHub Center.

Donovan, 32, announced Aug. 7 that he would retire after this season, his 14th in Major League Soccer. He now has 140 career goals in MLS play.

His latest came when teammate Robbie Keane sent a 20-yard pass across the front of the Vancouver goal and into Donovan's path. As he was sliding toward the goal from three yards out, Donovan kicked the ball into the net with his left foot.

In the 32nd minute, as the Galaxy attacked the Whitecaps' goal with a flurry of passes, midfielder Marcelo Sarvas took the final pass and converted with a score from the corner of the six-yard box to widen the Galaxy's lead to 2-0.

The Galaxy nearly scored again in the 57th minute when defender Omar Gonzalez took Donovan's corner kick and headed a sinking line drive from 12 yards out. But Vancouver midfielder Pedro Morales — who was standing alongside Whitecaps goalkeeper David Ousted — blocked the shot with his foot.

Vancouver's best scoring attempt came in the 81st minute when Rapids forward Darren Mattocks drilled the ball from 12 yards, but Galaxy goalkeeper Jaime Penedo blocked the shot while diving to his right.

With the victory, the Galaxy — seeking its fifth MLS championship — is squarely in playoff contention with two months left in the regular season.

The top five teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs, and after Saturday night's game the Galaxy (11-5-7) was fourth in the Western Conference, seven points ahead of the fifth-place Whitecaps (7-5-12).

The Galaxy also was only two points behind Seattle, FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake in the conference. "We're all in that mix right now," Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena said.

A turning point in the Galaxy's season might have been the club's come-from-behind, 4-3 victory over the Colorado Rapids last Wednesday.

The Galaxy had been soundly beaten in the prior game, a 4-1 loss to the Columbus Crew, and the Galaxy had allowed an additional three goals in the first half of its match with Colorado.

Arena then gave his players a tongue-lashing during halftime, a scolding that Donovan later said he couldn't repeat without the threat of being fined by the league.

The Galaxy then scored three times in the second half in Colorado to defeat the Rapids — the last a goal by Donovan in the 80th minute — and the team maintained the momentum Saturday night against Vancouver.

Saturday's game against Vancouver started a busy stretch for the Galaxy, which will play three games in nine days, all of them at StubHub Center. The Galaxy next faces D.C. United on Wednesday and Chivas USA on Aug. 31.

james.peltz@latimes.com

Twitter: @PeltzLATimes

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Israeli airstrike in Gaza levels 7-story building

For the second time in two days, Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on Sunday reduced a tall building to rubble, signaling a change of tactics under which any structure used by Hamas can be put on Israel's target list.

Sunday's early-morning strikes hit a seven-story office building in the southern town of Rafah, leveling it and badly damaging an adjacent shopping mall. A day earlier, a 12-story apartment tower in Gaza City was destroyed, showering the area with smashed masonry.

The nearly seven-week old conflict has escalated sharply in recent days, with Palestinian militants firing more than 100 rockets and mortars since Saturday and Israel stepping up its airstrikes across the coastal territory. The building in Rafah that was hit  Sunday contained an office of the Hamas-run Interior Ministry, the Associated Press reported.

Since the start of fighting on July 8, nearly 2,100 people have been killed in Gaza, most of them civilians, and 68 people have been killed on the Israeli side, all but four of them soldiers. The latest victim, a 4-year-old boy killed Friday by a mortar strike in a farm community near the boundary with Gaza, was to be buried Sunday, and Israeli newspapers were filled with outraged commentary about the government's failure to protect citizens living close to the seaside strip.

Israel has a sophisticated antimissile system, Iron Dome, to protect against rocket fire, and sirens warn of approaching rockets. But there is no comparable protection against short-range mortars that menace communities lying closest to Gaza.

Diplomatic efforts were continuing in a bid to attain a cease-fire and restart indirect talks. Israel has said it will not negotiate while rocket fire continues; Egypt, which has mediated previous talks, urged both sides to observe a truce.

Laura.King@latimes.com

@laurakingLAT

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Angels lose some ground in Oakland

Mike Scioscia was fully aware of both the calendar and the consequences Friday when his Angels opened a three-game series against the Oakland Athletics.

The lead in the American League West was hanging in the balance with five weeks left in the season. Yet he urged the team to play the games as if they were meaningless March exhibitions just the same.

"We need to approach this just like you do any spring training game," he said. "Go out there and just play baseball. I think that's when we're at our best."

They weren't at their best Friday, though, with the A's twice rallying from one-run deficits for a 5-3 win that narrowed the gap between the first-place Angels and second-place A's to just a game.

The loss also snapped a four-game winning streak for the Angels, who had won eight of their last nine, while for the A's the victory was their second in 11 days.

However the Angels, who haven't won in Oakland this season, didn't go quietly. For the first 82/3 innings their only offense came from solo homers by Mike Trout and Josh Hamilton, but they scored once in the ninth and loaded the bases against Oakland reliever Sean Doolittle before pinch-hitter Chris Iannetta struck out swinging to end the game.

"I think there were a lot of good things on the field. And some things we didn't quite get done," Scioscia said. "We kept battling. Just couldn't get that last hit at the end."

Oakland erased its last deficit in the fifth inning when shortstop Erick Aybar, trying for an inning-ending double play, bounced his throw, allowing Coco Crisp to score from second.

That play may ultimately prove even more costly, though, because it started with pitcher Hector Santiago sticking his left hand in front of Josh Donaldson's line drive. The ball caromed to second baseman Howie Kendrick, who tossed to Aybar at second. But with Craig Gentry sliding hard into second, Aybar's relay to first skipped past Albert Pujols, allowing Crisp to race home from second with the tying run.

For the Angels, already smarting from the loss of ace Garrett Richards to knee surgery Friday, having to go without Santiago could be disastrous. The left-hander was examined by the Angels trainers and allowed to stay in the game, but he faced just two more batters before leaving after five innings and 98 pitches.

Afterward Santiago said the hand was still swollen and bruised, making it hard to hold a baseball.

"My breaking ball, I couldn't get a nice grip on it," he said. "Instead of going there and becoming a one-pitch guy.… I didn't want to do that. It's just a little bit of a bruise right now. Right now just ice and rest and it should be good to go."

After Santiago left, reliever Jason Grilli gave up two more runs on a walk, an infield single, Sam Fuld's triple and a sacrifice fly. That proved enough to make a winner of Sonny Gray (13-7), who was brilliant, pitching into the ninth inning before waiting out Doolittle's shaky effort to win for the first time this month.

The Angels, meanwhile, are left to ponder how they can shore up their ailing rotation.

"There's not an open-all-night, 24-hour super store that provides starting pitchers on the drop of a dime," General Manager Jerry Dipoto said. "It's a hard time to acquire pitchers."

Especially now that players must pass through waivers before they can be traded. One attractive option who reportedly has already cleared waivers is left-hander Jon Niese of the Mets. But New York, knowing of the Angels' plight, is sure to ask for an inflated package of prospects in return.

"We'll do the best we can," Dipoto said. "And if there's a way on the market to come up with an upgrade we will."

If not, Dipoto said the Angels "will spread out our total staff to support with depth" what they're lacking without Richards.

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Angels lose some ground in Oakland

Mike Scioscia was fully aware of both the calendar and the consequences Friday when his Angels opened a three-game series against the Oakland Athletics.

The lead in the American League West was hanging in the balance with five weeks left in the season. Yet he urged the team to play the games as if they were meaningless March exhibitions just the same.

"We need to approach this just like you do any spring training game," he said. "Go out there and just play baseball. I think that's when we're at our best."

They weren't at their best Friday, though, with the A's twice rallying from one-run deficits for a 5-3 win that narrowed the gap between the first-place Angels and second-place A's to just a game.

The loss also snapped a four-game winning streak for the Angels, who had won eight of their last nine, while for the A's the victory was their second in 11 days.

However the Angels, who haven't won in Oakland this season, didn't go quietly. For the first 82/3 innings their only offense came from solo homers by Mike Trout and Josh Hamilton, but they scored once in the ninth and loaded the bases against Oakland reliever Sean Doolittle before pinch-hitter Chris Iannetta struck out swinging to end the game.

"I think there were a lot of good things on the field. And some things we didn't quite get done," Scioscia said. "We kept battling. Just couldn't get that last hit at the end."

Oakland erased its last deficit in the fifth inning when shortstop Erick Aybar, trying for an inning-ending double play, bounced his throw, allowing Coco Crisp to score from second.

That play may ultimately prove even more costly, though, because it started with pitcher Hector Santiago sticking his left hand in front of Josh Donaldson's line drive. The ball caromed to second baseman Howie Kendrick, who tossed to Aybar at second. But with Craig Gentry sliding hard into second, Aybar's relay to first skipped past Albert Pujols, allowing Crisp to race home from second with the tying run.

For the Angels, already smarting from the loss of ace Garrett Richards to knee surgery Friday, having to go without Santiago could be disastrous. The left-hander was examined by the Angels trainers and allowed to stay in the game, but he faced just two more batters before leaving after five innings and 98 pitches.

Afterward Santiago said the hand was still swollen and bruised, making it hard to hold a baseball.

"My breaking ball, I couldn't get a nice grip on it," he said. "Instead of going there and becoming a one-pitch guy.… I didn't want to do that. It's just a little bit of a bruise right now. Right now just ice and rest and it should be good to go."

After Santiago left, reliever Jason Grilli gave up two more runs on a walk, an infield single, Sam Fuld's triple and a sacrifice fly. That proved enough to make a winner of Sonny Gray (13-7), who was brilliant, pitching into the ninth inning before waiting out Doolittle's shaky effort to win for the first time this month.

The Angels, meanwhile, are left to ponder how they can shore up their ailing rotation.

"There's not an open-all-night, 24-hour super store that provides starting pitchers on the drop of a dime," General Manager Jerry Dipoto said. "It's a hard time to acquire pitchers."

Especially now that players must pass through waivers before they can be traded. One attractive option who reportedly has already cleared waivers is left-hander Jon Niese of the Mets. But New York, knowing of the Angels' plight, is sure to ask for an inflated package of prospects in return.

"We'll do the best we can," Dipoto said. "And if there's a way on the market to come up with an upgrade we will."

If not, Dipoto said the Angels "will spread out our total staff to support with depth" what they're lacking without Richards.

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

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Angels lose some ground in Oakland

Mike Scioscia was fully aware of both the calendar and the consequences Friday when his Angels opened a three-game series against the Oakland Athletics.

The lead in the American League West was hanging in the balance with five weeks left in the season. Yet he urged the team to play the games as if they were meaningless March exhibitions just the same.

"We need to approach this just like you do any spring training game," he said. "Go out there and just play baseball. I think that's when we're at our best."

They weren't at their best Friday, though, with the A's twice rallying from one-run deficits for a 5-3 win that narrowed the gap between the first-place Angels and second-place A's to just a game.

The loss also snapped a four-game winning streak for the Angels, who had won eight of their last nine, while for the A's the victory was their second in 11 days.

However the Angels, who haven't won in Oakland this season, didn't go quietly. For the first 82/3 innings their only offense came from solo homers by Mike Trout and Josh Hamilton, but they scored once in the ninth and loaded the bases against Oakland reliever Sean Doolittle before pinch-hitter Chris Iannetta struck out swinging to end the game.

"I think there were a lot of good things on the field. And some things we didn't quite get done," Scioscia said. "We kept battling. Just couldn't get that last hit at the end."

Oakland erased its last deficit in the fifth inning when shortstop Erick Aybar, trying for an inning-ending double play, bounced his throw, allowing Coco Crisp to score from second.

That play may ultimately prove even more costly, though, because it started with pitcher Hector Santiago sticking his left hand in front of Josh Donaldson's line drive. The ball caromed to second baseman Howie Kendrick, who tossed to Aybar at second. But with Craig Gentry sliding hard into second, Aybar's relay to first skipped past Albert Pujols, allowing Crisp to race home from second with the tying run.

For the Angels, already smarting from the loss of ace Garrett Richards to knee surgery Friday, having to go without Santiago could be disastrous. The left-hander was examined by the Angels trainers and allowed to stay in the game, but he faced just two more batters before leaving after five innings and 98 pitches.

Afterward Santiago said the hand was still swollen and bruised, making it hard to hold a baseball.

"My breaking ball, I couldn't get a nice grip on it," he said. "Instead of going there and becoming a one-pitch guy.… I didn't want to do that. It's just a little bit of a bruise right now. Right now just ice and rest and it should be good to go."

After Santiago left, reliever Jason Grilli gave up two more runs on a walk, an infield single, Sam Fuld's triple and a sacrifice fly. That proved enough to make a winner of Sonny Gray (13-7), who was brilliant, pitching into the ninth inning before waiting out Doolittle's shaky effort to win for the first time this month.

The Angels, meanwhile, are left to ponder how they can shore up their ailing rotation.

"There's not an open-all-night, 24-hour super store that provides starting pitchers on the drop of a dime," General Manager Jerry Dipoto said. "It's a hard time to acquire pitchers."

Especially now that players must pass through waivers before they can be traded. One attractive option who reportedly has already cleared waivers is left-hander Jon Niese of the Mets. But New York, knowing of the Angels' plight, is sure to ask for an inflated package of prospects in return.

"We'll do the best we can," Dipoto said. "And if there's a way on the market to come up with an upgrade we will."

If not, Dipoto said the Angels "will spread out our total staff to support with depth" what they're lacking without Richards.

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

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Florida's gay marriage ban struck down by federal judge

A federal judge on Thursday declared Florida's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, joining judges across the country who have sided with gay couples wishing to tie the knot.

U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle in Tallahassee ruled that the ban violates the 14th Amendment's guarantees of equal protection and due process. Hinkle issued a stay delaying the effect of his order, meaning no marriage licenses will be immediately issued for gay couples. That also means gay couples legally married in other states will not immediately have their marriages recognized in Florida. 

Hinkle, an appointee of President Clinton, compared bans on gay marriage to the long-abandoned prohibitions on interracial marriage and predicted both would be viewed by history the same way.

"When observers look back 50 years from now, the arguments supporting Florida's ban on same-sex marriage, though just as sincerely held, will again seem an obvious pretext for discrimination," Hinkle wrote in his ruling. "To paraphrase a civil rights leader from the age when interracial marriage was struck down, the arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice."

Florida voters added the ban to the state constitution in 2008. 

Gay rights have long been a contentious issue in Florida, a politically complex swing state where the northern counties tend to lean Republican like their Deep South neighbors and parts of South Florida are reliably Democratic. In the 1970s, singer and orange juice spokeswoman Anita Bryant lobbied to overturn a Dade County ordinance banning discrimination against gays, though the protections were later reinstated.

Florida Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi, a Republican, has appealed previous rulings striking down the ban on gay marriage, which were issued this year in Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe and Palm Beach counties. Hinkle's ruling allows time for appeals in the federal case. Bondi wants the Florida cases to remain on hold pending a definitive national ruling on gay marriage by the U.S. Supreme Court.

"The U.S. Supreme Court, they need to decide this case, they are going to decide this case, hopefully sooner than later so we will have finality," Bondi said this week. "There are good people on both sides of this issue, and we need to have finality for everyone involved."

Gay marriage proponents have won more than 20 legal decisions against state same-sex marriage restrictions since the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act last year.

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

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Justin Turner gives Dodgers comeback victory over Padres, 2-1

KEY MOMENT: Justin Turner hit a two-run home run off Tyson Ross in the eighth inning, turning a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 advantage. "That's one of the most exciting moments of my career," Turner said. The home run was the fourth of the season for Turner, but the first to turn on the bubble machine in the dugout. "All my homers before were before we had the machine," Turner said, smiling. "I might have had a concussion. The guys were pounding me on the head really hard." The Dodgers hadn't previously won a game in which they trailed after seven innings. Until Thursday night, they were 0-46 in such games.

AT THE PLATE: The Dodgers didn't do much against Padres starter Tyson Ross, who limited them to two runs and four hits over eight innings. The Dodgers have scored two or fewer runs in five of their last six games.

ON THE MOUND: Clayton Kershaw allowed a run and three hits over eight innings. Kershaw gave up his first hit with two out in the sixth inning, when Ross singled to left-center field. The Padres scored their only run in the seventh inning, when Abraham Almonte singled to left field, moved to second base on a walk to Jedd Gyorko and scored on a one-out single by Rene Rivera. Kenley Jansen earned his 36th save by pitching a scoreless ninth.

EXTRA BASES: Yasiel Puig will be part of an All-Star team that will travel to Japan in November for a five-team exhibition series. Others who are scheduled to make the trip include Albert Pujols of the Angels, Robinson Cano of the Seattle Mariners and Adam Jones of the Baltimore Orioles. … Scout Mike Brito, best known for signing Fernando Valenzuela, celebrated his 80th birthday by throwing the ceremonial first pitch. … The Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation will host its inaugural 5-kilometer race on Sept. 21. For more information, visit dodgers.com/5k.

UP NEXT: Dan Haren (10-10, 4.59) will face Jonathan Niese (7-8, 3.50) and the New York Mets at Dodger Stadium on Friday at 7 p.m. On the air: TV: SportsNet LA. Radio: 570, 1020.

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Clayton Kershaw is again dominant in Dodgers win over Padres

The Dodgers' 2-1 victory over the San Diego Padres on Thursday night presented as convincing a case as any as to why Clayton Kershaw might be the most valuable player in the National League.

Replacing a sore-elbowed Zack Greinke as the starting pitcher in the final game of a three-game series at Dodger Stadium, Kershaw limited the visitors to a run and three hits over eight innings to set up a late deficit-reversing two-run home run by Justin Turner.

Kershaw improved to 15-3, allowing the Dodgers to extend their lead over the second-place San Francisco Giants in the National League West to 31/2 games. The victory was crucial, considering the Dodgers had dropped four of their previous five games as they played with a roster depleted by injuries.

"That's just par for the course for him," Turner said. "I think we all know what we're going to get from him every time he goes out there. He's a competitor. I can't say enough about him and the job he's done for us all year."

In Turner's eyes, Kershaw is the league's most valuable player.

"Why not?" Turner said. "Whenever he has the ball, he's the best player on the field. He's got my vote."

If Kershaw's performance was the most important, Turner's was certainly the most dramatic.

Turner's eighth-inning home run produced the only runs the Dodgers scored against Padres starter Tyson Ross.

The Dodgers hadn't won a game in which they trailed after seven innings. Until Thursday night, they were 0-46 in such games.

"We were aware of it too," Turner said. "That's all we were talking about."

Kershaw was originally scheduled to start Friday instead of Thursday. But with Greinke dealing with a sore elbow, the Dodgers elected to push back Greinke's start by two days and move up Kershaw's by one.

Because the Dodgers didn't play Monday, Kershaw pitched on regular four-days' rest. Predictably, he was his regular dominant self.

Kershaw no-hit the Padres through 52/3 innings. The first hit he gave up was to Ross, the pitcher, who lined a 1-1 fastball into left-center field for a single.

Until then, the only Padres player to reach base was Rene Rivera, who drew a one-out walk in the second inning. Kershaw forced the next batter, Rymer Liriano, to ground into an inning-ending double play.

Kershaw pitched a no-hitter against the Colorado Rockies on June 18. Asked whether the thought of pitching another entered his mind, he laughed and replied, "The fifth inning is not quite far enough. Sixth or seventh inning, the fans will let you know.

"I gave up a hit to a pitcher, so I guess it wasn't my night."

The last pitcher to throw two no-hitters in a single regular season was Nolan Ryan, who did it with the Angels in 1973. Roy Halladay tossed a pair of no-hitters for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2010, one in the regular season and another in the NL division series.

Kershaw praised Ross, who held the Dodgers to two hits over the first seven innings. Carl Crawford reached base in the eighth inning on an infield single that hit the top of Ross' glove. Turner followed that by driving the ball over the left-field wall.

"Tyson, he's really, really good," Kershaw said. "I knew I was in for a battle tonight."

Kershaw will make his next start on five-days' rest. The Dodgers don't play Monday, meaning Kershaw won't have to pitch again until they face the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday at Chase Field.

Aside from the victory, there were other uplifting developments for the Dodgers.

Sidelined shortstop Hanley Ramirez took early batting practice, convincing Manager Don Mattingly he will be ready to play Sunday, when he is eligible to return from the 15-day disabled list. Also, Hyun-Jin Ryu tossed the ball off a mound, an indication his strained buttock muscle is recovering.

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L.A.-O.C. housing market is least affordable in U.S., Zillow says

Los Angeles and Orange counties are the least-affordable housing market in the country. And it's likely to only get worse.

That's according to new figures due out Thursday from real estate website Zillow, which found that renters here need to pay more of their income to afford a place to live than anywhere else in the country.

Adding to the affordability woes, Zillow is predicting that home prices here will climb 5.7% in the next year, outpacing likely growth in most people's paychecks.

The real estate website crunched for-sale and rent prices and incomes across 35 housing markets in the U.S. It found that a family earning the median household income of $59,424 in metro Los Angeles — defined as L.A. and Orange counties — would need to spend 47.9% of its income to afford a median-priced rental apartment, and 42.6% to afford a median-priced house. Both were the highest share in the U.S., though L.A. tied with San Francisco in for-sale housing.

Prices here have grown much faster than incomes in the last few years, said Svenja Gudell, Zillow's senior director of economic research. That's pushing L.A. housing out of reach for many.

"For people who aren't on the high end of income distribution — teachers, police officers — it becomes a real issue," she said.

Zillow's figures echo a recent study by UCLA's Ziman Center for Real Estate, which also pegged Los Angeles County as the least-affordable market in the country, and said that the rent crunch here has spread up the income ladder, to affect more middle-class households.

It's a twofold problem, economists say.

Housing prices here are high, though not as high as in the Bay Area, and comparable to New York, Washington and Boston. Those places score better on affordability measures, though, because people there tend to earn more than the average Southland resident. Median household income in the San Francisco area in the second quarter was $76,239, according to Zillow; in the L.A.-O.C. area it was $59,424.

"Los Angeles has a lower median household income than comparable cities such as New York or San Francisco but only a small difference in median rents," the UCLA report said.

Even for professionals with good incomes, buying a house in Southern California is a heavy lift, as Natalie Lohrenz sees every day.

As the director of counseling at the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Orange County, she works regularly with first-time buyers trying to purchase a home in a place where the median house cost $600,000 in July, according to CoreLogic DataQuick. Last week, Lohrenz said, she met a registered nurse with a six-figure income who was struggling to buy a two-bedroom townhouse in Irvine.

"In the majority of the country, she'd have no problem at all," Lohrenz said.

One reason California is so unaffordable, said Gudell, may ironically be that it got hit harder in the housing bust than high-cost East Coast markets. Prices crashed. Investors scooped up homes cheap. Then as the market recovered, the price of what was left surged.

"They almost overshot," Gudell said. "These California markets have these extremely high home values now, but incomes haven't kept up."

If there's good news, it's that those price gains are slowing down. Zillow projects — based on supply, income growth and other factors — that prices here will climb 5.7% in the next year, more than twice the national average. But that's barely half the pace they grew over the last year, and down sharply from the 8.7% annual jump the firm projected a month ago. Slow income growth is clearly putting a damper on demand, Gudell said.

And the places where rents are climbing fastest tend to be places with strong job growth. Zillow said rents are up nearly 20% in the last year in Santa Monica and Venice, where tech jobs have surged. Rents have fallen in more remote areas such as Lancaster and Palmdale.

That trend probably will continue, Gudell said, as the housing rebound fades and growth becomes driven more by jobs and income.

"It wasn't as much of a jobs story six months ago," she said. "Now we have a healthy job market and that's really what's driving home values."

In the long run, that's a healthy thing, said Keith Gumbinger, vice president of mortgage-tracking firm HSH.com. Price growth based on market fundamentals is a lot more sustainable than growth generated by market swings. Still, he said, it'll take awhile to work out the damage of the last few years.

"We're falling back to typical dynamics, and that should be healthier overall," he said. "But income growth, wage growth, has been pretty weak. They've got a ways to catch up."

tim.logan@latimes.com

Twitter: @bytimlogan

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