County Workers to Feel Budget Pinch in Many Ways

Orange County government employees may soon be working in dirtier offices, paying for their own parking and making due with fewer maintenance people to keep their computers running.

And those are the lucky ones: Hundreds of workers could lose their jobs under the proposed county budget, which combines anticipated revenue and cuts in services to cover a $67.7-million deficit in the $3.5-billion budget.

As of late Wednesday, budget officials were predicting that a total of 350 positions would be cut, though the number is fluctuating almost hourly. Officials also note that many of those positions are not filled, so layoffs would not be needed to eliminate them.

Still, all sides agree that the budget picture is grim, and there was little to celebrate during a public hearing by the Board of Supervisors on Wednesday outlining sections of the county spending plan that deal with environmental protection, internal government operations and new construction projects.

Although the supervisors have not taken any formal action so far, the budget proposals have stirred considerable concern and opposition, from both community activists and county workers.

“There’s a major concern among our members about the possibility of layoffs,” said John H. Sawyer, general manager of the Orange County Employees’ Assn., which represents most of the county’s 16,000 workers. In addition, Sawyer said employees would object to any proposal that forced them to pay for parking.

“That’s a condition of employment,” he said, “and it would amount to a cut in pay.”

In addition to the proposed job cutbacks and internal county reductions, budget officials suggested a number of other ways to save money, some of which drew responses from members of the board.

For instance, less than six months after Orange County joined a new Sacramento lobbying group, the new budget recommends that the county withdraw its membership to save the $40,000 in annual dues.

“I want to know what the reason for that would be,” complained Supervisor Harriett M. Wieder, who has supported the Urban Counties Caucus. “How can the reason have changed so quickly?”

Among the other proposed cuts outlined Wednesday:

* Reducing by 50%, or $128,000, the county share of funding the cooperative extension service at UCI, which provides information on pesticides, food safety, consumer issues and other areas.

* Reducing the salary, benefits and supply budgets for each county supervisor by 10%, or roughly $66,000 per office.

* Cutting back computer maintenance and training staff by 15 employees and eliminating 14 custodial positions.

* Deferring earthquake safety improvements at the County Courthouse in Santa Ana and remodeling and expansion of other county buildings.

* Eliminating five of the seven positions in the county public information office. That office had been recommended for total elimination, but protests from board members and others Wednesday persuaded budget officers to restore two of the spots.

* Encouraging early retirement for some county workers and studying a new work schedule that would leave government offices open only four days a week for 10 hours a day.

As the hearings continue today, officials are expected to receive an update on the county’s controversial efforts to contract out more services to the private sector. A report obtained Wednesday shows that 39 government services are being considered.

Among them: the sheriff’s helicopter patrol, which some county officials want eliminated altogether, the Harbor Patrol and a variety of food service and maintenance functions. County employee groups and some other observers are skeptical, and worry about the potential loss of jobs.

The recommendations come from a blue-ribbon task force established to ferret out ways that the government might save money by turning over more of its operations to the private sector.

The task force, which includes top county officials and local business leaders, has narrowed a list of 144 suggestions to the 39 that the board will receive today. Eventually, the task force hopes to produce 10 or 12 recommendations.

“I think the progress has been very satisfactory,” said Larry Seigel, a partner with Ernst & Young and a member of the task force. “We’re trying to move the county from its current gear . . . to a higher one, and the response so far has been very constructive.”

Board Chairman Gaddi H. Vasquez, a leading supporter of the task force and its mission, agreed and said he believed it could pay dividends in the near future.