Costa Mesa gives new date for employee layoffs

The earliest that Costa Mesa employees could be laid off as part of widespread outsourcing is Jan. 6 — nearly four months past the initial date when workers were told they could be let go, city officials said Monday.

The layoffs are part of a broad city restructuring plan to lower pension costs and increase capital improvement spending.

The city first notified more than 200 city employees March 17 that their jobs could be outsourced in six months. In September, the city changed the date, saying no one would lose their job before Nov. 19 as the City Council put city services out for public bidding.

But last month, with the first services just going out for bids, city officials notified employees that the new date would be Jan. 6.

The first responses to bids aren’t expected to come in, be analyzed and have a City Council decision before then, said city spokesman Bill Lobdell.

The city’s jail operations are the furthest along in the outsourcing process, according to the city’s schedule.

Costa Mesa’s restructuring effort has been slowed by a number of hurdles, including a judge’s decision to temporarily restrain the city’s ability to hire private workers, and the city overlooking its own rules for outsourcing, which caused the city to restart the entire process.

—Joseph Serna

Twitter: @JosephSerna