Abigail Goldman, who told colleagues that she raised her hand to leave the Los Angeles Times, was the last remaining member of the four-reporter team that won the Pulitzer Prize (and a Polk Award) in 2004 for a series on the global impact of Wal-Mart. More recently she had been the "green business" reporter in the Business section. Goldman began as a summer intern in the View section in 1993. From her note circulated in the newsroom:

To My Friends and Colleagues:

I have decided to leave the L.A. Times after 15 incredible and wonderful years. I've been out on maternity leave since last year and have watched the rounds of cuts with great dismay. I have wondered for some time if the Times was still the right place for me; the tipping point came with the news of more layoffs.

I will always be grateful for my years at the L.A. Times and the many brilliant and dedicated people with whom I've had the privilege of working. I'll always be proud to have been a part of this newspaper. And I'll always be rooting for the unbelievably talented journalists
who make it the great paper that it is. I still love reading you every morning.

Goldman is the second veteran Times reporter to leave in advance of the upcoming layoffs. Last week we reported that Metro investigative reporter Ted Rohrlich was getting out.