Budgetary Deja Vu for Newly Hired L.A. County Worker : Jobs: Maxine Schmidl was laid off when red ink engulfed O.C. government. She fears a replay up north.

It took 18 years for Maxine Schmidl to work her way up to the upper echelons of Orange County government.

Last December, she was finally promoted to management consulting, gaining her a coveted spot in the building--her own office on the third floor of the county administrative office. Then the county declared bankruptcy and she was one of nearly 800 employees who lost their jobs.

Schmidl, 42, quickly rebounded from her layoff by landing a similar position in Los Angeles County. Schmidl thought she had crossed the Orange County fiscal fault line to find security in Los Angeles.

But disaster may strike again now that Los Angeles County officials have drafted budget proposals that include more than 18,000 layoffs to save them from their own fiscal crisis.

Schmidl currently works under Los Angeles County Chief Administrative Officer Sally Reed, who may end up laying off Schmidl. Reed created a storm of controversy last week when she released a proposed budget plan that could eliminate 18,255 jobs and close County-USC Medical Center. The proposed cuts are an attempt to bring balance to Los Angeles County’s troubled $11.1-billion budget, Reed said.

To alleviate a $1.2-billion deficit, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors also approved an immediate 20% cut in all county departments--except health services, the Sheriff’s Department, the Probation Department and the coroner’s office.

Despite the mounting dismal news, Schmidl said she’s “prepared for the worst.”

“Nothing can compare to the shock I experienced in Orange County,” she said.

Before the bankruptcy, Schmidl was one of two Orange County legislative analysts. Just two months before she was laid off, she started her new job as a management consultant, which entailed reviewing and restructuring departmental operations.

“It was depressing,” Schmidl recalls. “I felt I had done some important work for the county, and done it well, but that all ended.”

Once out of a job, Schmidl swiftly sent out resumes and made phone calls throughout the country. At the time, she was prepared to work in Sacramento and still try to visit her family and boyfriend in Orange County on weekends.

She even considered changing her party affiliation, from Democrat to Republican, in the hopes of getting a job with an Orange County legislator.

Luckily, Los Angeles County officials offered her work within weeks, Schmidl said. She now works as a legislative analyst.

The workload is similar to that in Orange County, but all the faces are unfamiliar.

“Every time I pick up the phone to discuss an issue with a county staff, I have to introduce myself,” Schmidl said. “It’s like a game. You know the basic rules, but you have to relearn how play the game each time there are different players.”

Schmidl said she is too preoccupied with adjusting to her new work environment to think about the possibility of getting laid off again.

Her days begin at 5:30 a.m. and can stretch to 8 p.m. Still a resident of Santa Ana, she sometimes endures 1 1/2-hour commutes to Downtown Los Angeles. Working across county lines has taken away time from friends and family.

“I spend more time on the weekends recovering now,” she said.

Schmidl added that she’s aware that her new job could easily be pulled from under her after final budget decisions.

“Believe me, my resume’s always polished,” she said.

She is reminded of this possibility every time she sees colleagues well up with anxiety over the talk of cutbacks.

“I watch how people are handling the situation as though it’s business as usual and remember how it was when there wasn’t a lot of clarity” in Orange County, Schmidl said.

Los Angeles County officials will make final budget approvals in the next several weeks after a series of hearings on the proposed cuts.

In the meantime, Schmidl said she’s keeping her eyes and ears open to all job openings.

Although Orange County officials are alerting ex-workers of some opportunities, Schmidl said she’s hesitant to pursue them.

“Everything’s not shaken out yet in Orange County,” Schmidl said. “I’m not sure it’s very smart to go back when things aren’t reasonably over yet.

“I’ll stay here in Los Angeles until the end. Whatever happens, I think I’ll weather through it.”