The LA Times follows the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and other big US papers which have recently slashed their staff as the downturn in advertising revenue continues to bite.
The paper, part of US media firm the Tribune Company, said that most of the jobs will be part-time staff involved in the newspaper's distribution. The cuts will also see the closing of eight offices around Los Angeles.
The distribution is to be taken over by outside contractors in a move that has already been mirrored by other rival papers.
The Tribune Company says it plans to cut 10% of its total workforce by the end of the year.
Tribune also owns radio stations, 22 television stations, the Chicago Cubs baseball team and other US newspapers including the Chicago Tribune, the Baltimore Sun and Newsday magazine.