I'm told now that the pending wave of departures from the Los Angeles Times newsroom will be split into two phases: with voluntary departures and a relatively small number of layoffs happening today, and the rest of the 70-something newsroom exits (and 300+ paperwide) occurring after the California section is folded at the end of the month. Buyouts were offered to veteran staffers who were ready to leave and perhaps save a colleague from layoff. One of the volunteers is Dan Morain, a mainstay of the Sacramento bureau for many years after a long stretch as a go-to reporter in the San Francisco bureau. Morain also reported in the Westside section in his 27 years at the Times, and I believe spent some time at the Herald Examiner. In Sacramento Morain has done everything and specialized in reporting on campaign contributions and their influence in politics. I hear he'll be staying in Sacramento and working in the public relations realm.

Recently at LA Observed:
Another Pulitzer winner leaves Times
Ex-Times reporter's 'elegy for his dying paper'
Layoff notices at Times delayed
Ted Rohrlich leaving Spring Street
LAT pressrooms to lose quarter of staff
Zev to Eddy: stop before it's too late
LAT to cut 70 more in newsroom, 300 overall
Los Angeles Times kills local news section