CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SAN JUAN BAUTISTA : Mission Town Fires All 12 Workers

In an attempt to quell a rising budget deficit, the rustic mission town of San Juan Bautista has fired all 12 of its employees. “It’s not fiscally responsible to be spending money we don’t have,” Mayor Steve Hambacher said Friday. The employees--including the librarian, the public works official, and the three officers making up the Police Department--were laid off this week. Many town services will be performed by contractors and volunteers. The librarian and public works official have been rehired as contractors, and more than a dozen volunteers have signed up to keep the city manager’s office running, Holte said. The San Benito County Sheriff’s Department will handle law enforcement.