Just over two years since joining the Los Angeles Times, executive editor Kevin Merida announced on Tuesday that he is leaving the embattled paper.

In a letter to staff, Merida said that “with a heavy heart,” he would end his tenure effective this Friday …

During the summer of 2023, Merida faced the wrath of his own employees after 13 percent of the paper’s staff was laid off. The LA Times also struggled with the dueling SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes that crippled Hollywood, a prominent source of its local coverage, for months. Revenue projections were missed, cutbacks were made, and on top of that, the newsroom’s own union is still waiting for a new contract.

[Translation from Corporospeak: The LAT is traveling down the same road as the WaPo, only perhaps more gradually. Billionaire owner Patrick Soon-Shiong has an interim committee running the paper, never a good choice, until he can find someone to replace Merida. Sounds like Merida’s bailing out ahead of the next shoe drop, or Soon-Shiong just dropped it himself. — Ed]