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Janet Clayton stepped down last year as the L.A. Times editor in charge of Metro and California coverage, which followed a long stint as editor of the editorial pages. Today she was announced as the president of ThinkCure, the McCourt's new Dodgers charity. Release after the jump. (Frank and Jamie McCourt, by the way, must be rising in prominence. I noticed they were listed as sitting in the second row at tomorrow's Democratic debate, next to Sherry Lansing and her husband, William Friedkin.)
Noted: Sources at the Times say the powers that be finally realized that naming a new editor — and thus reminding the nation of how up-screwed the place has been — was not a wise PR move on the same days the LAT is co-hosting live televised debates. So they now don't expect the announcement on the new editor in chief before Friday.
ThinkCure is the official charity of the Los Angeles Dodgers and is supported by KCAL 9, USC Athletics and Major League Baseball, and benefits the City of Hope and Childrens Hospital, which both serve the large and diverse population of Greater Los Angeles.
“Ideally, like the Dodgers, ThinkCure will become the property and concern, not of its founding sponsors alone, but rather the entire Los Angeles community,” said Frank McCourt. “We are seeking to create a civic entity. I can’t think of anyone better to lead the effort than Janet.”
Clayton, a native of Los Angeles, had a distinguished 30-year career at the Los Angeles Times, starting when she was still a Phi Beta Kappa student at USC. She was a reporter; Editor of the Editorial Pages, where she determined the Times’ official opinions; California Editor, where she ran the largest news staff; and a key member of the paper’s leadership team. She also won numerous accolades for excellence in her profession, including recognition as the editor of two Pulitzer-prize winning series.
“I see ThinkCure as an extension of the idealism that attracted me to journalism,” Clayton said. “ThinkCure will help a cause – raising funds for cancer research with the goal of eradicating the disease – which everyone can support. At the same time, the common cause has the potential to bring together many different kinds of people in this community.”
ThinkCure is modeled after the successful Jimmy Fund in Boston, which is dedicated to cancer research. The McCourt family has been associated with the Jimmy Fund since its inception in 1948, when Frank McCourt’s grandfather, Francis McCourt, was an owner of the Boston Braves. Today the Jimmy Fund is the official charity of the Boston Red Sox.
Fundraising efforts for ThinkCure will kick into high gear with a Dodgers-Red Sox exhibition game on March 29, as the Dodgers celebrate 50 years in Los Angeles. The game will be played at the historic Coliseum, the site of the Dodgers’ early games before Dodger Stadium was completed in 1962.
Net proceeds of the game will go to ThinkCure. Jamie and Frank McCourt already have announced that they will match donations up to $1 million.