Times media columnist Tim Rutten is moving to the opinion pages, where he began his L.A. Times career [* nope, I'm told he began in the old View feature section.] He will write two columns a week on the Op-Ed Page, one about local politics, the other on "intellectual life and culture." Memo follows:

To the staff:

We are delighted to announce that Tim Rutten, a veteran of The Times and one of its most distinguished and intelligent writers, will bring his talents to the Op-Ed page beginning Jan. 1, 2008. He will write two columns a week, one on local politics and the other on intellectual life and culture. Tim's move will bring his already-signature work on culture and politics to our Op-Ed page while also allowing him the opportunity to write about topics closer to home.

Tim is well known to all serious readers of The Times and no stranger to this department. A native Southern Californian, he joined The Times in 1972 and, since then, has served variously as assistant Op-Ed editor, Opinion Editor, assistant National editor, editorial writer, columnist, local news analyst, City/County Bureau chief, cultural correspondent and associate features editor. For the past four years, he has written Calendar's Regarding Media column and, for the past two, has served as the paper's principle book critic -- a role in which he will continue even as he takes up duties as an Op-Ed columnist. His journalism and criticism also have appeared in the Economist and the New York Review of Books. He is coauthor with the late Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. of the New York Times best-selling Journey to Justice.

On a personal note, Tim's move to the Op-Ed page is an immensely gratifying one for me. Tim and I first worked together in Metro, and I was privileged to be part of the City/County Bureau when he revived it during the 1990s. Tim is a friend as well as a colleague, and I'm excited that this move reunites us in a new endeavor.

Nick and I are pleased to welcome Tim to his new assignment and to our pages.

Jim Newton, editor of the editorial pages
Nick Goldberg, Op-Ed and Sunday Opinion editor

More recent Times moves:
Two new masthead editors
John Lippman returns to Business desk