up against

Brian Gavidia had stepped out from working on a car at a tow yard in a Los Angeles suburb Thursday, when armed, masked men — wearing vests with “Border Patrol” on them — pushed him up against a metal gate and demanded to know where he was born.

“In reality, we are standing up against the ways he breaks the rules and harms people. His anti-LGBTQ+ policies, his anti-DEI policies, his extreme way he’s treating immigrants and then using the military here.”

Having been rolled for 138 in the first innings, and up against an Australian bowling attack with more than 1,500 Test wickets between them, it felt like big ask.

That left the bars of West Hollywood, where you would line up against the wall like pins in a bowling alley and wait for a strike.

But problem solvers in those places may be up against a vicious cycle, in which rising prices attract well-heeled buyers who support policies that stop development—and cause prices to rise further.