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.
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The DWP panel backed a $750,000 salary for proposed General Manager Janisse Quiñones, far higher than the $447,000 earned by the current manager.
April 24, 2024
Faced with rising salary costs and weak revenue growth, Mayor Karen Bass also proposed the elimination of more than 2,100 vacant city positions.
April 22, 2024
Philanthropic and real estate leaders react with hope and skepticism to Mayor Karen Bass’ plan to use outside donations to buy real estate.
April 21, 2024
Three L.A. City Council members assailed a deal to hike the pay of police officers. They’re much more enthusiastic about raises for other city workers.
April 20, 2024
The panel previously rejected a proposed settlement of $11,250 for Moonves because commissioners wanted a tougher penalty. The $15,000 fine approved Wednesday was the maximum allowed.
April 17, 2024
The pitch comes as Bass is working to break a logjam that has limited the city’s ability to move homeless Angelenos out of hotels and into apartments they can afford.
April 16, 2024
The Times and Consumer Watchdog had requested the documents to better understand the government’s criminal case and whether former City Attorney Mike Feuer bore any culpability.
April 12, 2024
The driver didn’t notice the temporary traffic light “until the last second,” said attorney David Rudorfer, adding that the placement of the temporary light made it difficult to see.
April 9, 2024
L.A. will stop issuing new dog breeding licenses in an effort to halt the overcrowding crisis at the city’s animal shelters.
April 9, 2024
Opponents argued that the hotel should be preserved. It was one of the first to unionize in the San Fernando Valley and one of the first union hotels in Los Angeles.
April 3, 2024