For the last 30 years, Chris Erskine has been a purveyor of good news, bringing colorful characters and funny moments to the pages of the Los Angeles Times.

Well, in today's good news segment, we begin with a little not so good news, at least for us -- Chris Erskine has announced his retirement from the LA Times.

To kick off our chat with Chris, LA Times Today introduced some of the Erskine 'pals' you've read about over the past three decades.

Watch Los Angeles Times Today at 7 and 10 p.m. Monday through Friday on Spectrum News 1.