Frank del Olmo Named Times Associate Editor

Frank del Olmo, who has been assistant to Los Angeles Times Editor Michael Parks, was promoted to associate editor of the newspaper, Parks announced Wednesday.

As associate editor, Del Olmo will focus on expanding The Times’ coverage of Southern California’s rapidly growing Latino communities. The effort will include additional staff focusing on Latino issues and interests, ranging from labor to business and popular music to religion.

Del Olmo, who will report to Parks, also will work on a variety of other editorial initiatives and will continue to contribute to The Times’ Op-Ed pages as a columnist.

In his 28 years with the paper, Del Olmo, 50, has served in various editorial positions. He was a member of The Times’ Pulitzer Prize-winning team of reporters and editors who received the 1984 Gold Medal for Meritorious Public Service for the series “Southern California’s Latino Community.”

He joined The Times in 1970 as an intern on the metropolitan staff, and from 1971 to 1980 was a staff writer specializing in Latin American affairs. During the next nine years, Del Olmo worked as an editorial writer. In 1989, he was promoted to deputy editorial page editor.

Del Olmo serves on the board of the Committee to Protect Journalists, a New York-based, nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom around the world. He also is on the board of directors for the California Chicano News Media Assn., where he also served as president.