Arnold, LaGuire, Sappell Named to Metro News Posts at The Times

Roxane Arnold, a veteran Los Angeles Times editor and reporter, has been named metropolitan editor of the paper, Editor Michael Parks announced Monday.

Arnold, who had directed the paper’s state and specialist coverage, succeeds Leo Wolinsky, who headed the metropolitan staff for the last two years. Wolinsky last month was named managing editor for news.

Arnold’s advancement is among several promotions intended to bolster The Times’ coverage of Los Angeles and California news, Parks said.

Times City Editor Lennie LaGuire was named deputy metropolitan editor, and Joel Sappell, metropolitan projects editor, was promoted to senior metropolitan projects editor.

“I am very proud of these appointments. Roxane, Lennie and Joel stand for the great journalism we do, and will help us get better. I am pleased, proud and know they will lead us well,” Parks told the metropolitan staff at a newsroom announcement.

Arnold, 49, joined The Times in 1978. She has worked as a reporter and editor for the paper’s Orange County, San Fernando Valley and Metropolitan editions, and has served as the paper’s state/specialist editor since 1990.

As metropolitan editor, Arnold will oversee coverage of California and Nevada, supervising 130 reporters and editors in Los Angeles as well as in bureaus in Riverside, San Diego, the Central Valley, Sacramento and San Francisco.

She has a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Minnesota and a master’s degree in journalism from UCLA.

LaGuire, 41, will continue to direct the paper’s city staff, and be responsible for creating new beats and specialized areas of coverage.

LaGuire began work at The Times in 1989 as assistant editor of the San Gabriel Valley section and has been city editor since 1996.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Michigan and is a graduate of the University of Michigan journalism workshop.

As senior metropolitan projects editor, Sappell will lead an expansion of the paper’s reporting on in-depth projects.

Sappell, 44, has been metropolitan projects editor since 1995 and was city editor from 1994 to 1995. He has held several reporting and editing positions at The Times since 1981.

He attended Cal State Long Beach.