San Mateo County Times columnist John Horgan noted Monday that the death of P.J. Corkery is a reminder of how difficult, if not impossible, it has been to find somebody to fill the shoes of Herb Caen.

Corkery gave it is his best shot for a time while laboring as a columnist for the San Francisco Examiner, in one of its several incarnations.

But Caen, who passed away more than a decade ago, was a journalistic institution unique to the Bay Area. He has not been replaced and almost certainly never will be.

That is especially likely, considering the worrisome state of newspapers today.

Along those unfortunate lines, Caen’s former employer, the San Francisco Chronicle, is once again in the process of reducing its work force through voluntary buyouts, this time as many as 100 individuals.Downsizing in the industry has been the order of the day for the past several years — and not just at the Chronicle.