Pay Cut

I just read that County Supervisor Gloria Molina has suggested that the County Board of Supervisors take a voluntary 8.25% pay cut from their annual pay of $99,297 (July 7). This would still leave them with $90,000 a year plus $20,000 in fringe benefits. She received support in her motion from two board members, Yvonne Brathwaite Burke and Mike Antonovich. However, Ed Edelman and Deane Dana weren’t so sure.

My sister is one of the 84,000 rank-and-file county workers who will probably be forced to take an 8.25% pay cut, or worse, be laid off. She has been with the county for nearly 20 years. She is divorced, the mother of a 15-year-old daughter, and has never received any child support from her ex-husband. My sister will never see $99,297 in one year or anything close to it. If she can take the cut I think the board can take it. They can scrape by on $90,000 a year. Carry on, Gloria!

MARION THEISS

Arcadia

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The county is threatening to reduce the work force by over 10%. This means that several thousand more unemployed people will be hitting the county for welfare.

Instead of laying off people, why can’t the permanent employees be requested to work only two or three days a week (and be paid for only those days worked). This was done during the Great Depression of the 1930s and seemed to work out satisfactorily for everyone. An additional benefit to the part-time work is that new hires would not have to be trained when the budget crunch finally ends.

GEORGE I. TAYLOR JR.

La Canada