A ''For Sale'' sign is outside a residential home in Los Angeles on May 3. (Michael Yanow / NurPhoto via Getty Images) The City of Angels lost nearly 10,000 residents last year. L.A. County lost 62,000. It’s not exactly a mass exodus, but L.A.’s shrinking population is enough to leave a few economists shuddering at the long-term implications of so many people skipping town: less political influence, a smaller tax base, etc.