Douglass Leaving KNBC-TV : The respected political editor is moving to Washington.

Linda Douglass, political editor for KNBC-TV Channel 4 and one of the most respected reporters in local TV news, will leave the station in two weeks to move to Washington with her family.

Douglass, who has worked in broadcast journalism for the past 18 years, said Tuesday that her husband’s law practice has increasingly required him to stay in Washington for weeks at a time and that it was a “sudden, family decision” that prompted her to leave Channel 4.

“It’s a very difficult day for me because I really love my job,” said Douglass, who has served as Channel 4’s political editor since 1985. “I was very much looking forward to covering the mayor’s race and the changing city. I really loved the area that I’ve carved out in the political arena and it’s a very tough thing for me to give up. It was a wrenching decision.”

Douglass’ contract expires this month. Although KNBC has not renewed the contract of a few veteran reporters in recent years in an apparent effort to cut costs, Douglass said that the station had made her a “generous offer to stay. There was no pay cut, and I had every intention of accepting the offer until this came up.”

She said that she does not have a job lined up in Washington but hopes to continue her political reporting career there, although she held out the possibility that she would pursue a position outside of television.

Nancy Valenta, KNBC’s news director, expressed regret that Douglass, one of her station’s most experienced and no-nonsense reporters, had decided to leave. She said that if future employment does not prevent it, she would like to have Douglass work for KNBC from Washington on a short-term basis, covering such events as President-elect Bill Clinton’s inauguration in January.

Valenta did not know when or if KNBC would replace Douglass with another full-time political reporter.

“We’re still trying to deal with Linda leaving,” Valenta said. “She is the best at what she does and it is a very tough void for us to fill. But we are strongly committed to politics. We have been in the past and we will be in the future. I won’t speculate now on who will fill Linda’s shoes, but we still will be in the political game at KNBC.”

Douglass, a graduate of USC, began her career at KCBS-TV (then KNXT) Channel 2 in 1974. She was named anchor at Channel 2 in 1978 and political editor the following year. She also served as a correspondent for CBS News in 1981, returning to local television in 1983.

She will move to Washington with her husband, John Phillips, whose practice represents whistle blowers in cases of government fraud, and their 9-year-old daughter, Katie, who, Douglass said, “is excited about moving to a place where there are seasons.”