One Worker Found for All Those Jobs

A friend was kind enough to share with me your Orange County employment story in the Christmas edition of the Times (“Job Openings in Orange County Exceed Workers,” Dec. 26). I am somewhat mystified by the allegation of employers that they can’t find workers.

I have been unemployed since August, except for a brief stint as a “gofer” for a school portrait studio . . . at less than living wages.

Perhaps you will remember me as Suburban Editor of the old Daily News Tribune. Since I was let go there (“economic staff reductions”), I was news editor of the Anaheim Bulletin for 6 years, but was let go on an hour’s notice there, with a number of weak reasons, including economics. I then worked in a PR agency for a year before it too was hit by an economic crunch. For about 5 years I worked for the Boy Scouts of America in Los Angeles (PR, photos, camping services), until I was suddenly fired early in August. Since that time, the hungry-for-employees firms here in Orange County, and elsewhere, have either ignored my applications for work, or have responded that I am “over-qualified” or “not qualified.”

Where are all these Orange County employers (the Employment Development Department has only jobs listed for minimum or near-minimum wages that won’t pay enough to cover even the cost of my very low mortgage payments)?

I have sought jobs outside of journalism, but was told that I wasn’t even qualified to be a $1,500-per-month school janitor.

DEAN WHINERY

Brea