April 5, 2024Terry Tang, Interim Executive Editor, Los Angeles Times
Hector Becerra, Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times
Angel Jennings, Assistant Managing Editor, Culture and Talent, Los Angeles Times
Dear Ms. Tang, Mr. Becerra, and Ms. Jennings:
CCNMA, Latino Journalists of California has been monitoring the deeply concerning budget cuts that have taken place at the Los Angeles Times in recent months. We understand the economic challenges faced by The Times and other news outlets that are struggling with staggering operational deficits and diminished advertising revenue. Nonetheless, we are troubled by the most recent round of layoffs and buyouts at your news organization and their impact on your efforts to build a newsroom that reflects the rich diversity of the communities it covers.
As you know, Los Angeles Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong acknowledged in 2020 that The Times “should better reflect the fact that one in two people in L.A. County is Latino.” To address this historic underrepresentation, he committed to creating a newsroom in which Latinos would be at least 25% of the staff by 2025.
CCNMA is concerned about the impact of the layoffs and buyouts on broader efforts to cover California and the West, especially as they relate to Latinos and other communities of color. The two most recent rounds of budget cuts have undercut the promises made by Dr. Soon-Shiong in 2020.
De Los was unveiled in July amid much fanfare and promises to improve coverage of the Latino community. This new section was eviscerated by the budget cuts. Its senior manager, all of its reporters, its cultural columnist and one assistant editor were laid off. Another editor was reassigned to help fill holes in newsroom coverage. In addition, the Los Angeles Times arts and culture columnist who covered so many vital Latino voices for the newspaper took a buyout. And the only Latina staff columnist for the op-ed pages was laid off, as was the only Latino and Spanish speaker on the investigations team.
We realize that the newspaper’s collective bargaining agreement stipulates that layoffs be made by seniority. But management is allowed to use so-called “skips” under the agreement to provide some flexibility to meet overall newsroom goals. We are aware of at least one instance in which management laid off a Latino reporter after skipping multiple reporters with less seniority who were white.
In December, The Times touted its expanded coverage of California and announced that three reporters were taking on new and important roles. One of them was a Latina assigned to cover the Inland Empire, which The Times described as a region “central to shaping California’s future.” That reporter took a buyout.
Also taking a buyout was your senior environmental reporter, a veteran Latino staffer. His departure, along with the recent retirement of the Latina who served as the deputy business editor, marked the end of a proud legacy at the Los Angeles Times. They were the last two remaining Times journalists who were part of the groundbreaking series on Latinos that was awarded the 1984 Pulitzer Prize Gold Medal for Meritorious Public Service.
As recently as spring 2021, two reporters and an editor in Los Angeles covered immigration issues, in addition to a reporter assigned to immigration in Washington, D.C. The 2024 layoffs decimated the newspaper’s storied Washington bureau. Even though an immigration reporter is still in Washington, we are not aware of any staffer in Los Angeles who is currently assigned to cover immigration, which national polls have shown to be a key issue for both Republicans and Democrats in an election year. Nor is any beat reporter devoted to matters arising along the U.S.-Mexico border from San Diego to Brownsville.
The Asian American reporter who covered California State University and the community college system was laid off. Our understanding is that only one reporter is assigned to cover the University of California system. We are not aware of any reporter who is currently assigned to cover the sprawling CSU and community college systems, both of which are crucial springboards of opportunity for first-generation college students and students of color.
Given the new realities, CCNMA is asking that you please provide the following information:
How many editorial staffers, both union members and managers, were laid off in the most recent layoffs? How many were Latino? How many were Black? And how many were Asian American/Pacific Islander?
How many editorial staffers, both union members and managers, were accepted for buyouts in the most recent round of budget cuts? How many were Latino? How many were Black? And how many were Asian American/Pacific Islander? And how many white staff members remain at the paper after requesting a buyout and being deemed too essential to let go?
How many editorial staffers, both represented and managers, are currently employed by The Times? How many are Latino? How many are Black? And how many are Asian American/Pacific Islander?
We look forward to receiving the requested information from you so that we can accurately assess how recent staff reductions have affected your efforts to diversify your newsroom and cover communities vital to the long-term sustainability of your news organization.
CCNMA is saddened by what has transpired at the Los Angeles Times, but our organization stands ready to work with you in the future and is prepared to support any initiatives that improve representation of Latinos and journalists of color in the newsroom.
Thank you for your assistance.
Sincerely,
Mekahlo Medina, Executive Director, CCNMA, Latino Journalists of California