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
The lawsuit by non-profit Fix the City alleges that officials failed to study the environmental effects of the project and didn’t follow a competitive bidding process.
Dec. 7, 2023
The Los Angeles City Council has approved an amendment meant to assuage concerns that a rodeo ban would unfairly block equestrian events of cultural significance.
Dec. 5, 2023
Mayoral staff will no longer be allowed to raise money for the Mayor’s Fund, or for other nonprofits and foundations associated with the city.
Dec. 2, 2023
Two City Council members are asking police and the city attorney to report on mass littering as a means of disseminating hate after antisemitic fliers were distributed in L.A. neighborhoods.
Nov. 28, 2023
Several Airbnb hosts expressed alarm about the proposal at a council committee hearing last week, calling the requirement of a police permit excessive.
Nov. 28, 2023
Webb de Macias is a former senior advisor to former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and also worked for then-City Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas.
Nov. 14, 2023
Many people spoke at Tuesday’s council meeting in favor of Harvard-Westlake’s plans, with some residents warning that condominiums could rise instead on the riverside site.
Nov. 14, 2023
This is not Bass’ first crisis since she took the helm of the nation’s second-largest city in December, but Angelenos feel deeply about traffic and their commutes.
Nov. 14, 2023
The Los Angeles City Council will weigh in on Harvard-Westlake’s plans to transform the Weddington Golf & Tennis site into an athletic campus, which has divided the community.
Nov. 13, 2023
The officer’s allegations threatened to derail Garcetti’s nomination by President Biden as ambassador to India.
Nov. 8, 2023