Jeffrey Johnson

Former Los Angeles Times Publisher Jeffrey M. Johnson has taken an executive position with Yucaipa Cos., the private investment firm that last year joined in a bid to buy the newspaper's parent, Tribune Co. of Chicago.

Tribune Co. forced Los Angeles Times Publisher Jeffrey M. Johnson to step down Thursday, three weeks after he stirred a national debate about corporate ownership of newspapers by publicly defying a demand for staff cuts in his newsroom. Johnson was replaced immediately by David Hiller, the publisher of the company's hometown newspaper, the Chicago Tribune. Hiller is the 12th executive to lead The Times in its 125-year history. Tribune Publishing President Scott C.

John P. Puerner announced Tuesday he would step down as publisher of the Los Angeles Times to take what he called a "self-imposed career break," and Tribune Co. promptly named his longtime protege, Jeffrey M. Johnson, as publisher. Johnson ascends to the top post at a newspaper that by many accounts thrived journalistically but stagnated financially during Puerner's five-year tenure, which began shortly after the Chicago-based media conglomerate bought out Times Mirror Co. in 2000.