Dakota Smith covers City Hall for the Los Angeles Times. She is part of the team that won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in breaking news for reporting on a leaked audio recording that upended City Hall politics. She joined the newsroom in 2016 and previously covered City Hall for the Los Angeles Daily News. She is a graduate of Lewis & Clark College and lives in Los Angeles.
Latest From This Author
Jim Clark secretly directed other attorneys to orchestrate a class-action lawsuit so that claims over a botched DWP billing system could be settled on terms favorable to the city, State Bar prosecutors allege.
Sept. 14, 2024
The ruling invalidated a law spearheaded by environmental justice activists that barred new oil and gas extraction and required that all existing operations stop production within 20 years.
Sept. 11, 2024
Former Mayor Eric Garcetti, who once thought of himself as a possible presidential candidate, may soon be out of a job.
Sept. 7, 2024
In L.A., which has little vacant land, sky-high rents and many homeless people, affordable housing proponents see religious institutions as an untapped resource.
Sept. 1, 2024
Fresh from her Paris trip, City Councilmember Traci Park weighed in on what L.A. might see.
Aug. 24, 2024
Under city ethics rules, then-DWP board President Cynthia McClain-Hill was not allowed to accept substantial gifts from the conference host, Accenture, which holds millions of dollars in contracts with the DWP.
Aug. 22, 2024
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass spoke about Vice President Kamala Harris during a speech Monday night at the Democratic National Convention.
Aug. 20, 2024
On an 8-3 vote, the City Council voted to approve $50,000 in legal services in response to a blistering retaliation claim. The city attorney had asked for $500,000.
Aug. 17, 2024
Former General Manager Annette Ramirez has been temporarily assigned to lead the department after General Manager Staycee Dains took a leave.
Aug. 16, 2024
Gifts given long ago by sister cities Busan and Nagoya have been removed from City Hall to make way for Olympic flags as L.A. prepares to host the 2028 Games.
Aug. 15, 2024