Corrigan named LA Times biz editor

John Corrigan, deputy business editor of the Los Angeles Times, has been named the paper’s business editor, replacing Sallie Hofmeister, who is going to oversee paper’s arts and entertainment coverage.

A memo from editor Russ Stanton stated, “John Corrigan, deputy business editor for the past two years, is being promoted to business editor, effective immediately.

“He will head up an ambitious department that has a strong track record of delivering news and enterprise stories for A1, with staffers stationed in Sacramento, San Francisco, New York, Washington and China.

“Over the past eight years, John has compiled an impressive body of work in the Business section. As deputy, he was in charge of the daily report and oversaw the launch of the new Sunday section, which focuses on personal finance. He was the project editor for the 2003 series ‘The Wal-Mart Effect,’ which won the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting. As markets editor, John directed the 2006 series ‘Retirement at Risk,’ which won first place in business writing from the Associated Press and The Times own editorial award for explanatory journalism.

“He also supervised our coverage of several major and long-running stories, including Ameriquest Mortgage Co.’s predatory lending tactics, the Enron scandal, labor strife at West Coast ports, the California supermarket strike and most recently, the nation’s economic crisis. He also has formidable multimedia skills, having served as executive producer, director, cinematographer and screenwriter of the Business section video classic, ‘Tom Petruno Turns 50.’Â

“John joined the Business section in 2001, after being hired here two years earlier as the night city editor in the Valley, a job that also included overseeing the Valley’s weekly business section. Before that, he worked as a reporter and editor at the Orange County Register, the Los Angeles Daily News, the Los Angeles Business Journal and the Vista Press. He also is a board member of the Society of American Business Editors and Writers.

“He has bachelor’s degrees from Loyola Marymount University and California State University, Northridge.

“John will report to Managing Editor Davan Maharaj.”