Real estate is all about location, location, location. The same seems to apply to the pandemic. While L.A. County’s overall coronavirus case rate skyrocketed by 450% during the holiday surge, there were certain neighborhoods that saw nothing more than a brief blip on the radar. My colleagues Matt Stiles and Hayley Smith report on three of those surge-safe communities: West Hollywood, Malibu and Playa del Rey. Advertisement The fact that these communities are generally more affluent than the areas that suffered the most is hardly a coincidence. Most people who have avoided the coronavirus’ wrath have jobs that allow them to work from home. They aren’t living in overcrowded apartments with multiple generations of family members. They have easy access to outdoor space, where the virus’ strength is diminished.