LA Times appoints Burkes and Peñaloza assistant editors

The following excerpt was sent out on behalf of deputy managing editor Shelby Grad, assistant managing editor B.J. Terhune and deputy editor James Reed:

Dawn Burkes and David Carrillo Peñaloza have been named assistant editors on the Fast Break Desk, the Los Angeles Times’ breaking news initiative.

Burkes has joined the team full time after a temporary role as an assistant editor with the entertainment staff, where she distinguished herself as a nimble editor with a strong command of television, film, breaking news and all things related to superheroes and horror flicks.

Previously, Burkes was the editorial and publishing coordinator for Cinestate publications, including managing editor of Fangoria.com; a reporter, critic and editor at the Dallas Morning News; and an assistant editor and staff writer at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She graduated from Florida A&M University with a bachelor’s degree in magazines.

David Carrillo Peñaloza will be joining the Fast Break Desk on June 6 as an assistant editor. He currently works for the News Desk as a multiplatform editor, where he helps coordinate breaking news and edits the homepage.

Carrillo Peñaloza previously worked for Times Community News in Orange County from 2006 to 2021. He served as a sports reporter, sports editor and city editor during his time. In 2020, he helped launch the Daily Pilot’s e-newspaper and TimesOC newsletter, the latter of which he wrote twice a week.

A Cal State Northridge graduate, Carrillo Peñaloza was born and raised in Los Angeles. His work has appeared in The Times, the Chicago Tribune, the New York Times and the Washington Post.