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.
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Last year’s homeless count found 761 fewer RVs on the back roads of the Antelope Valley, a drop of more than half.
The city and county of Los Angeles, long at odds over homeless services, have in principle reached an agreement that would give the city control who gets placed in city shelters and housing.
Thousands of trees killed in a wildfire are being cut down and removed from California’s Sierra. But what is happening to them? A wildlife biologist was determined to find out.
Los Angeles County has agreed to take over the annual homeless count and federal grant application duties from the struggling Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. However, the county and city of Los Angeles continue to spar over which will manage other homeless programs.
A meeting to choose a new agency to guide L.A.’s homeless services broke down when more than 1,500 people sought to vote on the matter online.
A new report on L.A.’s homeless services system finds fractured and inefficient data systems, and adds detail on other problems such as water damage, elevator outages and copper theft.
L.A. voting rights groups rally to recruit poll watchers, launch protection programs, and counter potential election disruption in the November vote.
The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has rebuffed a Trump administration effort to dictate how homeless service organizations in Los Angeles can seek millions of dollars in federal housing funds.
Burchett’s effort to force Bass to testify is the latest example of congressional Republican leaders trying to examine California’s handling of regional issues and finances.
The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday upheld a federal judge’s order requiring the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to build 2,550 units of housing on its West Los Angeles campus. A three-judge panel rejected the VA’s request to have its appeal heard by the full 9th Circuit.