Jobless Benefits Office Short on Holiday Spirit

Christmas ribbons still decorate the counter at the state unemployment office in Santa Ana, giving the only festive touch to the otherwise grim business of applying for jobless benefits.

The wait can be as long as four hours but was fairly short on Friday because of the holidays. But the mood was as somber as ever. Workers said the latest unemployment figures, showing a 7% jobless rate in the county, only confirm what they have known for months.

“I think it’s fairly bad,” said Mark Mandel of Barstow, a former Marine lieutenant who mustered out two weeks ago. In the past six months, he said, an employment agency that specializes in placing military officers has landed him only one interview.

Mandel said he is ready to take up any of a number of careers. He said he has applied for jobs as a teacher, a firefighter and an FBI agent.

“I’m very optimistic, mostly because I’m fortunate to have a (college) degree and officer experience,” he said as he stood in line with his year-old son, Matthew.

David Bishop of Costa Mesa, a former regional sales manager in the aerospace industry, said he has been searching for a job since being laid off a year ago.

That the jobless rate was higher again in November is no surprise, he said. Many workers have been off the job so long that they can no longer draw benefits, he noted.

Bishop, who before being idled had traveled internationally as a trainer of sales managers, said he is ready to take just about any sales job.

“That’s where I get nailed,” he said. Prospective employers “don’t want to take me because I have too much experience: ‘You’ll be gone when the economy turns around.’ ”

He said he has sent more than 100 resumes, spoken with executive recruiters, scanned the classified ads and depleted his savings of about $12,000.

“My job is to find a job,” he said glumly.