Erika D. Smith is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times writing about the people, politics and quest for a more equitable California. She joined The Times in 2018 as an assistant editor, expanding coverage of the state’s homelessness and affordable housing crises. She previously worked at the Sacramento Bee as a columnist and editorial board member. Before the Bee, Smith wrote for the Indianapolis Star and Akron Beacon Journal. She is a graduate of Ohio University and a native of Cleveland.
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Commentary on people, politics and the quest for a more equitable California.
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Latest From This Author
The longtime Oakland lawmaker was defeated in the primary by Adam Schiff and Steve Garvey, disappointing a close-knit California sisterhood. But all is not lost.
March 10, 2024
No longer is it just “vote for the best person.” Our most basic civic duty has become complicated and tiring. The Senate primary is but one example.
March 5, 2024
Can we really trace the problems of Black homelessness and poverty back to slavery? A UC San Francisco study says yes, and it’s time we listen.
Feb. 25, 2024
As the flooding of a tiny home village demonstrates, climate change puts new pressures on efforts to quickly bring people indoors and keep them safe.
Feb. 18, 2024
Forget the politics of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. The politics being debated in the California city lately are more conservative than progressive.
Feb. 10, 2024
Instead of a cohesive strategy to compensate Black people for slavery, lawmakers are pushing a confusing list of bills on which they don’t all agree.
Feb. 2, 2024
Tied up in court, SB 2 bans concealed carry almost everywhere — a blow to domestic violence victims failed by the state and worried about self-defense.
Jan. 19, 2024
With the climate crisis, people of color have to do more than just fight the same old fights for racial justice. A new campaign is trying to help.
Jan. 15, 2024
In the coming days, the narrative will be that Mayor Bass ousted Moore because she crossed him. But there were more important reasons he needed to go.
Jan. 13, 2024
The Republican presidential candidate’s cowardly revisionist history of slavery has prompted a surprising wave of bipartisan scorn. Is this progress?
Dec. 28, 2023