Joe Eskenazi of the SF Weekly reports that the Bay Area News Group-East Bay has 17 fewer journalists today than it did yesterday. Eskenazi obtained an internal memo from Editor Kevin Keene that said 11 employees took voluntary buyouts and six had their positions “eliminated, effectively immediately.”

Taking buyouts were:

• Dave Carpenter, copy editor
• Pat Craig, theater critic
• Mike DeCicco, copy editor
• Christine Harrington, Alameda clerk
• Ben Hawkins, copy editor
• Karen Holzmeister, Hayward-based reporter
• Paula King, east Alameda County reporter
• Kathleen Kirkwood, online news supervisor
• Christine Morente, San Mateo reporter
• Jeremiah Oshan, copy editor
• Kimberly Wetzel, west Alameda County reporter

Those whose positions were eliminated were:

• Mike Lucia, Hayward-based photographer
• Mike Martinez, Tracy-based reporter
• Jenny Starks, sports reporter
• Ginny Stemler, librarian
• Jolene Thym, food editor
• Steve R. Waterhouse, Fremont-based prep sportswriter