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Confirmed departures not yet reported here, among the 150 editorial jobs (plus 100 outside the newsrooms) being lost by layoffs both voluntary and not:
Steve Harvey learned he will no longer be writing the Only in L.A. column while at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo this week as a volunteer trainer for budding high school journalists. Harvey, either #1 or #2 in newsroom seniority, became a columnist in 1990 after six years as a writer in the Opinion section and 16 years as a Metro reporter. His columns have been collected in a book, "Only in L.A.," and Harvey was a commentator for National Public Radio from 1981 to 1990.- Tom Trapnell is the page designer for the Opinion section, which is being discontinued later this month. He was formerly the paper's editorial design director and had a major role in previous redesigns of the paper.
- National reporter Terry McDermott won the Wistar Institute Science Journalism Award in April for “Chasing Memory,” a four-part series on the quest to understand how memory works and why it breaks down. After the 9-11 attacks he spent several years reporting for the Times on Al Qaeda and terrorism.
- Janet Wilson covered air quality on the environment desk. With the previously noted departure of environment writer Marla Cone and the exit of veteran editor Frank Clifford earlier this year, there's concern in the scientific community that the Times is surrendering its tradition as a leader in environment and science coverage.
- Assistant sports editor Alex Kimball, a veteran of the National Sports Daily and New York Newsday, is leaving the Times after 10 years to become a senior editor for NFL coverage at ESPN.com. Sports has been especially hard hit, both the editor and designer ranks.
- Donna Deane, at the Times for 28 years, has been Test Kitchen Director for the Food section. Told the job has been eliminated, her last day is Friday,
- Scott Nordhues has been a design editor at the Times for nearly 10 years, most recently in the features department, and is a former TV news assignment editor, assistant city editor and reporter.
On the topic:
- Capitol Morning Report carried an item Wednesday saying that Robert Durrell, the Times' longtime photographer in Sacramento, was laid off. He was with the paper 20 years.
- Assistant Sports Editor Bob Rowher's email message says "I will not be in the office again. I was fired today, Monday, July 21, as part of staff reduction of 150 editorial positions at The Times."
- Jay Christensen, one of the Sports staffers to lose his job, will be on Sportsbyline USA Friday at 10 pm with hosts John Woolard and Fred Wallin to talk about the Times.
- A visitor at SportsJournalists.com posted, after reading the layoff names there: "I just cancelled my subscription. Had it in some form or another since I moved here in '94. The paper pretty much completely blows now. I wonder if/when Plaschke's gonna start covering City Council meetings."
- The Times announced Wednesday, in response to reader complaints, that the horse racing news from Del Mar has been eliminated from the Sports section along with Bob Mieszerski's handicap column [and] three weekly features: Gearing Up on auto racing, Teeing Off on golf and Corner Kicks on soccer. Reader's Representative Journal
- In the same item as above, the Times confirms that former Highway 1 columnist Dan Neil will run now in Friday Business and that Throttle Jockey columnist Susan Carpenter will no longer review motorcycles. Instead of the discontinued Highway 1, today's Times carried an advertorial section about cars.
- The 100 non-editorial staffers expected to lose their jobs do not include IT whiz Vic Pulver — he left on his own July 11. "After 19 years, I decided I couldn't stand being there any more," says Pulver, who was a key supporter of editorial projects.
- Amy Martin was a features designer who relocated from the Detroit Free Press in September to work on the Calendar section. Laid off this week, she is offering free resume design to any Times employee who wants help. Her blog. Also, former Times reporter and editor Tom Paegel and his attorney-wife are offering free financial guidance. Email
Previously:
L.A. Times layoff scenes
LAT's Lobdell discusses his exit
Booth and O'Connor bound for Mexico
Chuck Philips leaving Times
Job cuts at the L.A. Times