From today's Bollettino of the Holy See Press Office:
The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the office of Auxiliary of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles (U.S.A.) presented by H.E.Bp. Gabino Zavala, Tit. Bishop of Tamascani, in conformity with Canons 411 and 401 §2 of the Code of Canon Law.
The reason for this 401 §2 (i.e. early) resignation? One we found only in the Italian press: the Bishop has two teenage children, it has been "found". A letter by the local Archbishop that is still to appear (at the time of posting, it had not yet been published) in the archdiocesan website will state that Zavala "is the father of two minor teenage children, who live with their mother in another state. ... The Archdiocese has reached out to the mother and children to provide spiritual care as well as funding to assist the children with college costs. The family’s identity is not known to the public, and I wish to respect their right to privacy." [1500 GMT: Note: this text was edited once the original English version of the letter appeared in the Archdiocesan website.]
Below, a picture of the Bishop with altar serves of the Campus Ministry Mount Saint Mary's College following the "Closing Liturgy" in a past edition of the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress. [Source.]
Zavala, 60, was named Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles by Pope John Paul II in 1994. He is also Bishop-President of "Justice and Peace" organization Pax Christi, the USA Chapter of the international "Peace" Movement.
[Source: TMNews (in Italian); tip: Papa Ratzinger blog.]
Update (1500 GMT). Full text from the Archdiocesan website:
From: Archdiocese of Los Angeles Priority: HighArchbishop José H. Gomez releases a statement on the resignation of Bishop Gabino Zavala.
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
I have some sad and difficult information to share with you. Bishop Gabino Zavala, auxiliary bishop for the San Gabriel Pastoral Region, informed me in early December that he is the father of two minor teenage children, who live with their mother in another state.
Bishop Zavala also told me that he submitted his resignation to the Holy Father in Rome, which was accepted. Since that time, he has not been in ministry and will be living privately.
The Archdiocese has reached out to the mother and children to provide spiritual care as well as funding to assist the children with college costs. The family’s identity is not known to the public, and I wish to respect their right to privacy.
Let us pray for all those impacted by this situation and for each other as we reflect on this letter.
May the Lord Jesus, through the intercession of Mary, grant you peace.
