The water cooler chat in the LATimes D.C. bureau has Jon Peterson, Alan Miller and (recent arrival) Joe Mathews taking the buyout (there's talk of one more, too, but no one seems to know for sure).

Joe has been with the LAT for a while but is new to the D.C. bureau and was brought here to cover the presidential campaign. Miller is a Pulitzer winner.

It could be the the first in a wave of people fleeing the LAT bureau following the crazed rant by Sam Zell last week when he showed up in DC. Lots of LATimes'rs are convinced he's out to destroy the bureau, so people are trying to decide whether to stay and fight or get the hell out.

UPDATE: From a tipster...

Joe Mathews has already taken the buyout from the LAT. He's moving back to LA with his wife, who works at the WSJ. The journal just hired someone to fill her job.