The L.A. Alternative Press is going weekly and taking a new name: the L.A. Alternative. The first issue will hit Friday, Dec. 4, according to a release that landed today:

Publisher and co-founder Martin Albornoz, a Los Angeles native, has been an independent publisher for over 10 years. “Los Angeles needs an independent non-corporate, home grown publication like the L.A. Alternative,” he says. “In our current political climate, it's important to have an authentic voice that isn't governed by a need to maximize profits. Politically, the Los Angeles Times has taken a shift to the right, and the L.A. Weekly, newly acquired by the Arizona-based New Times Inc., will most likely shift to the right as well. We are really the only progressive voice left in Los Angeles.”

The editorial tone will be set by current Editor-in-Chief, Lesley Bargar [Filter Magazine, Filter Mini], who has her finger on the pulse of the independent music and arts scene in Southern California and beyond.

With a sense of humor, an incisive political eye and cultural coverage that's really on the cutting-edge, the L.A. Alternative will bring the city's readers what they've been missing for a while now: true satisfaction with their local alternative weekly.

The launch party Dec. 4 is at King King.