LAT's Washington bureau to cut, consolidate*

An internal memo from an anonymous Los Angeles Times staffer posted on Romenesko says the Times' DC bureau will be collapsed into a single Tribune Co. structure, leading to as many as eight layoffs. A formal announcement of the plan is expected Nov. 7, with the cuts coming on Nov. 18.

Back in February, Tribune owner Sam Zell said the LAT bureau was "unsupportable." Now we know what he meant.

From the memo:

Well, let’s just say it's bad in every way it can be bad. Basically, the LAT no longer has a Washington bureau and we will be under the control of the Tribune Co., much like McClatchy is run.

Here's what the new Tribune Co. bureau would look like:

19 reporters & 5 editors as a core "national staff"
10 reporters as "regional reporters", divided this way:
2 from LAT
2 from ChiTrib
2 from BaltSun
1 from other small papers

*UPDATE: Doyle McManus, LAT bureau chief, responds to the memo.