Customers Pan Plan for County Hours : Services: Those who use clinics, recorder and welfare offices say alternate Friday closings would be a burden.

A plan to shut down almost all county government offices every other Friday to save up to $2 million is receiving negative reviews from people using the county recorder and health and social services offices.

The plan, tentatively approved by the Board of Supervisors this week, would be a “disaster,” Jesse Chavez, a recording clerk for Lincoln Title Co.

“I’m here every single day,” Chavez said as he left the recorder’s office. “It would really make our work pile up and we’d have to develop new procedures.”

He added that Friday is usually the busiest day of the week for his title company because people often wait until the last minute to file documents.

John Carpio, a recording clerk for Commonwealth Land Title Company in Santa Ana, agreed.

He said he’s at the recorder’s office three times a day and objected to the proposed decrease in hours.

“I know it will create problems,” said Carpio. “It would definitely affect the title industry because companies have deeds of trust that have to be recorded.”

County Budget Director Ronald Rubino said the new schedule would affect all county employees except sheriff’s deputies, firefighters and court employees.

Under the so-called “9/80” plan, employees would work 80 hours over nine working days during a two-week period and get every other Friday off.

Part of the savings generated under the plan would come from synchronizing the various schedules now used in county government. It could also save the county millions by reducing overtime and sick leave and lowering maintenance and utility bills, according to a report prepared by the county administrative office.

“We are surveying all of the departments that could be affected and they are each putting together a plan,” said Ronald Rubino, county budget director. “For instance, at the recorder’s office, they may use drop-off boxes and have additional phone services. The items dropped off would be taken as the first item the next business day.”

He said similar plans have been used in Riverside County and that officials there have been pleased with the results.

Lou Ann Stockwell, a mother of four, was at the county’s pediatric clinic Friday, where she had been sitting in a crowded waiting room for more than two hours.

“It takes long enough to get an appointment as it is,” said Stockwell, 28, of Santa Ana. “If they were open less days, I think it would be a lot worse than this. With the amount of people they have now, I don’t think it can be done.”

Meanwhile, Laurie, a 34-year-old homeless woman, had been sitting in the waiting room of the county’s social services office for several hours Friday afternoon waiting for a welfare check which she said would pay for a motel room for her and her infant son.

“I know the county and everyone else needs to save money but if they closed this office on Fridays, it would be detrimental to a lot of people,” said the woman who asked to be identified only by her first name. “Friday is a bad day to choose because everybody wants money for the weekend. If they had been closed today, I would have an entire weekend ahead of me with no money for food for my baby.”

But not everyone was upset at the prospect of county government virtually shutting down every other Friday.

“Typically, Fridays are a little slower around here,” said Elena Valdez, a receptionist at the county’s Health Care Agency. “It’s less hectic around here, and I think people would adjust.”

Don Marthens , a development consultant who makes at least three visits each week to the county’s Environmental Management Agency, said a synchronized schedule would be helpful and eliminate delays.

“Sometimes, the person you need to see isn’t there,” said Marthens. “As long as a developer knows ahead of time which days they would be closed, it would work fine.”

He said Friday is the best day for government offices to close because Mondays and Tuesdays are often the busiest times.

The nine-day, 80-hour plan would be ratified when the supervisors approve the final county budget next month.

The supervisors voted 4-1 on Wednesday to tentatively approve the plan. Chairman Roger R. Stanton voted against the proposal.