Al Martinez vents a little

Longtime LAT writer Al Martinez uses today's column to report that he survived the buyout and layoff putsch, and to commiserate with those who lost jobs at the Times and elsewhere. Martinez is 76 and has lasted as an LAT columnist for 21 years, though he now runs deep inside Calendar.

"I have, at least until now, survived the turmoil and the sadness that many of my colleagues are being forced to confront," Martinez writes. "Worry and fear were palpable emotions during weeks of rumors that circulated throughout the domains of a newspaper once known as 'the velvet coffin' for the perks that characterized a place once rich and comfortable. It has taken the events of the past days to make us realize that the Chandlers no longer hold us in their cozy embrace." Most of the piece is about a friend, Russ, who faces loss of his job at General Motors for the second time.

Meanwhile, a source says that at least one editorial staffer at the Times Magazine was laid off Thursday after declining to apply for the buyout. Also, an email says that at least two editors were fired Thursday in a staff reduction at Variety.