Exclusive: Latino leaders hit LA Times over layoffs

Catch up quick: The job losses at the Times in January hit Latino journalists hard, with the paper's Latino Caucus losing around 38% of its members and reversing recent gains in diversity hiring.

• The paper's new Latino vertical, De Los, was significantly affected.

Zoom in: In a letter to LA Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong obtained by Axios, the Latino leaders say the paper needs Hispanic journalists to properly cover one of the nation's most Latino cities.

• "(We are) deeply troubled by the recent decision to terminate 115 staffers, a significant number of whom are reportedly from Black, Latino, Asian, and other underrepresented communities."
• "Our concerns are further heightened by the apparent contradiction between these layoffs and the promises made by the LA Times in 2020 to enhance diversity within the newsroom."

What they're saying: "The business bottom line and decisions around that business model highlighted clear preferences about things remaining status quo," Sonja Diaz, co-founder of UCLA Latina Futures, 2050 Lab, tells Axios.

• Diaz said the staff reductions if needed could have been conducted more equitably or avoided since journalists of color are needed to cover an increasingly diverse Los Angeles.
• Nathaly Arriola Maurice, lead strategist for the group Aquí: The Accountability Movement, tells Axios the paper is still trying to sell itself to advertising as promoting multiculturalism even after the layoffs.

The other side: LA Times spokesperson Hillary Manning said the layoffs were incredibly difficult and were made only after evaluating all other viable options.

• "The layoffs among Guild members in our newsroom were conducted in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which prioritizes seniority and sets forth a process where the last people hired are the first to be let go, with very few exceptions."
• Manning said the company's management team sought some flexibility in conducting the layoffs, but the Guild declined to compromise.
• The LA Times Guild has said seniority exists to help employees build careers at the Times and that other options exist besides layoffs.

Following the layoffs, the Times appointed Terry Tang interim executive editor, making her the first woman editor in the paper's 142-year history and the highest-ranking Asian American editor.

• This paper also named Hector Becerra its managing editor, making him one of the highest-ranking Latino editors in its history.

Between the lines: Many unionized major media outlets are plagued with seniority clauses that protect older staffers hired when outlets didn't prioritize diversity.

• That means seniority, a policy also known as "last in, first out" in Guild contracts, overwhelmingly supports white staffers over recently hired journalists of color.

What's next: U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), who has been monitoring media diversity, tells Axios he's watching the LA Times to see how it responds.

• Castro said he'd been encouraged by recent hires of Latino journalists but worries the recent layoffs will affect how the outlet covers the Hispanic community in the nation's second-largest city.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to note that Julián Castro is the former Housing and Urban Development Secretary, not a former member of Congress.

Subscribe to Axios Latino to get vital news about Latinos and Latin America, delivered to your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays.