Zone coverage of the Santa Clarita and Antelope Valley will be eliminated, with resulting job losses via buyouts. The MediaNews bean counters have managed to almost make a pessimist of Brent Hopkins, the usually upbeat reporter and newsroom union rep who blogs tonight at The Paper Trail:

While I appreciate [editor Ron Kaye's] attempts to minimize job loss and that he personally informed the staff involved, rather than sending an e-mail or someone else to do his dirty work, today is a terrible day. Once again, MediaNews' corporate moneyhounds have put profit ahead of people and good journalism, and that's horrible for everyone involved. While the overall job loss should be relatively minor, that doesn't matter much when it's your job that's eliminated. My heart goes out to the people who've worked so hard up there and we'll all need to keep our eyes out for other employment possibilities for them....

I know this is not an easy time for anyone, but I hope that for those who choose to stick around, you'll continue to believe in the paper and each other. Throughout all this craziness, you've done fantastic work and should be really proud of everything you've accomplished. Thank you for all your dedication and skill-- while the corporate budgeteers may not appreciate it, the people of this community do. Hang in there...

After August 12 the Daily News will have one-person bureaus in Santa Clarita and the Antelope Valley. Reports are around again that the paper sold its Woodland Hills headquarters building to Hearst.