ABOUT SHANE

Shane Smith has a history of civic involvement in Merced.  In 2018, Shane was elected as a trustee of the Merced City School District serving the City’s northeast and north-central neighborhoods.  He relentlessly fought for the best interests of children and the value of parent choice during the COIVD-19 shutdown.

Shane has been a stalwart contributor to City of Merced initiatives as well.  In 2015 he was an active member of the citizens’ commission that developed the City of Merced’s first Council district boundaries.  In 2019, Shane chaired the City of Merced’s Charter Review Committee and stewarded the successful passage of Measures K, L, and M to enact Charter amendments that same year.  In 2020, in the midst of our nation’s emotional discussion of race relations in America, Shane was invited to serve on the Police Advisory Committee alongside representatives from the Merced Police Department and a diverse group of residents to thoroughly review all police “use of force” policies.

Shane currently serves as Vice President of the Board of the Merced Symphony Association and chairs the Citizens Advisory Committee of the Merced County Association of Governments.

During the workday, Shane is a partner at one of the largest law firms in the Central Valley.  He focuses his practice on federal civil litigation and intellectual property to protect business innovation.
While attending Berkeley Law in 2009, Shane externed for Chief Justice Ronald George on the California Supreme Court.  He has a Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Pathology from UCLA and a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from UC Davis.

Shane’s wife, Katrina Hoyer, is a professor of immunology at UC Merced.  Their daughter is a rising 6th grader at Burbank Elementary School in MCSD.  Together they spend a lot of time at dance competitions, singing recitals, baseball games, and playing with their three cats Magic, November, and Dramatic Justice aka DJ.