Senior writer Doug Smith scouts Los Angeles for the ragged edges where public policy meets real people, combining data analysis and gumshoe reporting to tell L.A. stories through his more than 50 years of experience covering the city. As past database editor from 2004 through 2015, he hunted down and analyzed data for news and investigative projects. Besides “Grading the Teachers,” he contributed to investigations of construction abuse in the community college system and the rising toll of prescription drug overdoses. Smith has been at The Times since 1970, covering local and state government, criminal justice, politics and education. He was the lead writer for Times’ coverage of the infamous North Hollywood shootout, winner of a 1997 Pulitzer Prize. Between 2005 and 2008, Smith made five trips to Iraq on loan to our foreign desk.
Latest From This Author
A ballot measure that would mandate “a new approach to expand programs that are proven to prevent homelessness and increase housing affordability” is a sales tax increase. But you wouldn’t know it from a flier arriving in mailboxes around the county.
Sept. 16, 2024
Homelessness spending in Los Angeles must more than double to $2 billion a year to end sleeping on the streets in the city, according to a draft report by housing officials
Sept. 13, 2024
A 4-year-old girl was fatally mauled by her family pit bull in the San Joaquin Valley city of Visalia, according to authorities. The girl and the pet were “inseparable.”
Sept. 8, 2024
A 4-year-old girl was fatally mauled by a pit bull in the San Joaquin Valley city of Visalia, according to authorities.
Sept. 7, 2024
U.S. District Judge David O. Carter castigated the VA for failing to use the 388-acre campus to ‘principally benefit veterans and their families.’
Sept. 6, 2024
Prompted by a complaint from a dog bite victim, the San Diego County grand jury has recommended the county improve collection of dog bite data and start a database.
Sept. 6, 2024
A pair stopped on the 91 Freeway in Riverside to scoop up a stranded kitten, and then things went south.
Sept. 6, 2024
A helicopter made an emergency landing on the 110 Freeway on Thursday night, bringing southbound traffic to a halt for hours.
Sept. 5, 2024
A proposal to house a violent sexual predator known as the “Pillowcase Rapist” in the Antelope Valley has officials urging residents to voice their concerns.
Sept. 5, 2024
Attempted murder with firearm enhancements have been filed against a 17-year-old in the shooting of San Francisco 49ers rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall.
Sept. 3, 2024