This one was brewing for quite some time, at least on the gossip circuit. The AME in charge of Metro had been rumored to be coming and going for months (Roderick has been keeping closer tabs). In his memo, editor Jim O'Shea says that "the decision to leave the Times was Janet’s. I tried in vain to talk her into staying at the paper." She's leaving "to pursue other opportunities," though O'Shea doesn't indicate any departure date. Now comes the speculation about her successor. From the memo:

Her career here spans 30 years and she has done it all, from her tenure as an award-winning editorial page editor to her current job as AME for state and local news. Her departure is a loss for the newspaper, its readers and the community. But, after working on a daily newspaper virtually non-stop since she was 21, Janet joked that she felt it was time to take a break without resorting to maternity leave. Janet is in no rush to leave the paper. She and I wanted to get this note out now, though, because we both felt it was important for the staff to hear this significant news from us.

Memo on jump

To the staff:

I regret to announce that Janet Clayton, one of the most respected and skilled journalists at the Los Angeles Times, has decided to leave the newspaper to pursue other opportunities. The decision to leave the Times was Janet’s. I tried in vain to talk her into staying at the paper. Her career here spans 30 years and she has done it all, from her tenure as an award-winning editorial page editor to her current job as AME for state and local news. Her departure is a loss for the newspaper, its readers and the community. But, after working on a daily newspaper virtually non-stop since she was 21, Janet joked that she felt it was time to take a break without resorting to maternity leave. Janet is in no rush to leave the paper. She and I wanted to get this note out now, though, because we both felt it was important for the staff to hear this significant news from us.

Janet is sending a separate note to the Metro staff. But let me say a few words about her and her career, things that she is probably too modest to say about herself. Janet is an extraordinary journalist who personifies the best of the Los Angeles Times. She started her career here as an intern in the Washington bureau while she was still a student at USC. She then worked as a general assignment reporter in Orange County before moving to Los Angeles as a general assignment reporter who specialized in political news and analysis. She joined the editing ranks of the paper, first as Op-ed editor and then as an editorial writer. Janet soon became the first woman and the first person of color to become Times Editor of the Editorial Pages. Under her leadership, the Times won two Pulitzers for editorial writing. Her sharp intellect, grace, humor and fair-minded approach to the job made her an invaluable asset within the paper and within the community. In 2004, the Times leadership asked Janet to oversee the Metro staff, the largest at the newspaper. She has been an incredible leader and a conscience for the newsroom during tumultuous change. She also sharpened the paper’s coverage of Los Angeles, the region and the state despite cutbacks.

I am personally sorry to see Janet leave the paper. I truly regret that I could not persuade her to stay. I valued her wise counsel and extensive knowledge of the community. But Janet said she decided it was time to explore the world beyond the Times, and I wanted to support her in whatever she wants to do. I am sure that everyone on the staff joins me in wishing her the best in the future.

John and I will move quickly to fill the Metro editor job. More on that later. For now, though, I would like to personally thank Janet for her immeasurable contributions to the Los Angeles Times. She has given this paper so much and asked so little in return. We will all miss her.

Jim

James O'Shea