With Austin Beutner’s firing from his post as publisher at the Los Angeles Times comes the exit of vice president of marketing and communications Johanna Maska, a former aide in the Obama administration who was hired in April.
Maska was one of several political operatives that Beutner had brought on to fulfill executive roles in recent months.
"I am leaving the LA Times with great pride of what we were able to accomplish and an appreciation that this paper landed me in one of the great cities in the world," Maska said in a letter to colleagues, according to Politico. "The substantive work we did to focus on the community helped to draw on the wealth of passion, diversity and strength that exists across our city and our entire state. It’s my hope that the work continues and the Times continues to innovate in a way that cements it as a dynamic member of the truly amazing community it serves."
Beutner brought on Maska less than five months ago to expand the paper’s reach. She worked for Barack Obama for eight years, beginning with a role on his first presidential campaign in 2007.
Beutner, who spent about a year at the Times before being fired Tuesday, had reportedly conflicted with the CEO of the Times’ parent company Tribune Publishing, Jack Griffin, because of differences in vision for the publication.
A former investment banker and deputy mayor, Beutner found out about his firing from radio reports Tuesday morning while driving to work; Griffin had yet to inform him of the decision. He was hurriedly replaced with the publisher and chief executive of the Baltimore Sun, Timothy Ryan.
"I am not departing by choice, nor is this some ‘mutual agreement’ on my part and Tribune Publishing," Beutner wrote on Facebook. "Tribune Publishing has decided to fire me. I am sorry you will read this on social media, but I no longer have access to my Times email."
Politico reported that many of the political operatives hired by Beutner will either be fired like him or leave the publication like Maska.