Palmdale Will Lay Off 14 to Cut Costs

For the second time in less than a year, city officials in once fast-growing Palmdale are being forced to lay off employees and make other cutbacks to cope with lagging revenues and fiscal uncertainty.

The City Council on Thursday night approved a plan to cut 14 employees, nine full-time and five part-time; reduce two full-time workers to part-time status, and eliminate funding for six vacant positions. The targeted jobs were spread over a range of city departments.

The job cutbacks, effective immediately, will save about $376,000 for the rest of this fiscal year. That and other expense reductions were part of a plan to add $1 million to the city’s meager $490,000 reserve fund. The city had a similar round of layoffs and cutbacks in May, its first such cutbacks in memory.