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Dakota Smith

Staff Writer

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Dakota Smith covers Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and City Hall for the city-county bureau. She joined the Los Angeles Times 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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Trump tells donors in Beverly Hills: ‘We’ll never be a socialist country’

California

Trump tells donors in Beverly Hills: ‘We’ll never be a socialist country’

A developer behind massive apartment complexes in downtown L.A., Geoffrey Palmer, is hosting a Beverly Hills fundraiser for President Trump.

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Trump says California cities ‘destroying themselves’ with homelessness
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Is Trump trying to make this historic building a homeless shelter? Locals are ‘baffled’

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Is Trump trying to make this historic building a homeless shelter? Locals are ‘baffled’

A week after hearing about federal officials swinging through a vacant office building close to Los Angeles International Airport, Hawthorne officials and residents are still confused. The office building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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‘Fed up’ with homeless camps, L.A. County joins case to restore its right to clear them
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DWP, reeling from scandals and FBI raids, gets a new watchdog office

California

DWP, reeling from scandals and FBI raids, gets a new watchdog office

Months after federal investigators raided the L.A. Department of Water and Power, Mayor Eric Garcetti has created an inspector general’s office at the utility.
California

Trump team’s homeless tour of L.A. sparks suspicions, concerns

California

Trump team’s homeless tour of L.A. sparks suspicions, concerns

At least a dozen Trump administration officials are in Los Angeles to examine the homelessness crisis, a source of criticism from the president.
California

Harrowing stories of death and survival in first minutes of California boat fire

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Harrowing stories of death and survival in first minutes of California boat fire

Surviving crew members aboard the Conception tell what happened when fire broke out.

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California dive boat owner asks judge to limit payouts to victims’ families

California boat fire victims: United by a love for ocean, taken in tragedy. These are their stories
California

A city auditor was investigating DWP contracts. She says she was warned not to be ‘thorough’

California

A city auditor was investigating DWP contracts. She says she was warned not to be ‘thorough’

An auditor in the L.A. controller’s office says the city failed to protect her when she started investigating controversial water department contracts.
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Boat fire victims include a family with three daughters, a marine biologist and a dive instructor

California

Boat fire victims include a family with three daughters, a marine biologist and a dive instructor

The 34 people who lost their lives in the Conception boat fire included a teenager as young as 17 and adults in their 60s, the Santa Barbara sheriff said.

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Lack of escape routes in California boat fire becomes focus as investigation intensifies

Deadly boat fire devastates community of local divers
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How did crew members survive California boat fire? Their location allowed for escape, sheriff says

California

How did crew members survive California boat fire? Their location allowed for escape, sheriff says

Five crew members survived the fire aboard the diving boat the Conception early Monday because they were stationed on the deck rather than below it, officials said.
California

Final hours on the Conception: Diving, birthday parties, then horrific fire

California

Final hours on the Conception: Diving, birthday parties, then horrific fire

Conception crew members asked these boat owners for help. Some of the men were crying, one saying his girlfriend was still below deck.
California

Biologist missing in boat fire had ‘a love for marine life’

California

Biologist missing in boat fire had ‘a love for marine life’

Kristy Finstad, a 41-year-old marine biologist, was among those initially unaccounted in the boat fire off California’s Channel Islands.

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Three sisters celebrating dad’s birthday feared lost in California boat fire

Rescuers face psychological toll as they recover bodies

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