The state’s growing budget crisis hit closer to home this week
when the Board of Supervisors approved a plan to lay off six
employees and help the county save more than $300,000.
The state’s growing budget crisis hit closer to home this week when the Board of Supervisors approved a plan to lay off six employees and help the county save more than $300,000.
Supervisors authorized eliminating six full-time employee positions in the Department of Community Services and Workforce Development. The positions scheduled to be eliminated include a level-one accountant; a level-two office assistant; two vocational assistants; and two employment and training services counselors.
The Board was forced to cut the positions to make up for the loss of $323,747 in state and federal grants that funded the positions.
The layoffs do not become effective until June 30 when the current funding cycle for the grant money paying for those positions runs out.
Supervisor Bob Cruz reiterated a long-standing practice by the Board when it comes to employees whose positions are funded through grants.
“When the money runs out, the position runs out,” Cruz said.
Although the Supervisors agreed the fiscally conservative stance will help the county, several said that it did not make the decision easier.
“I wish we didn’t have to lay off anybody,” Supervisor Ruth Kesler said. “But when the money isn’t there, what are you going to do.”
John Vellardita, executive director for Service Employees International Union Local 817, asked the Board not to approve the layoffs until the union had an opportunity to discuss alternative steps to possibly save some of the positions.
Several Board members said they wanted to make sure the employees slated for layoffs had a few weeks notice to give them time to find a new job, but they would be willing to meet Vellardita halfway.
The Board agreed to send the notices to the employees, but to delay acting for the next 30 days giving Vellardita time to meet with County Administrative Officer Gil Solorio to see if there were any alternatives to resolve the issue.
“Obviously the county is facing some fiscal restraints like all other counties in the state,” Vellardita said. “All we’re asking for is the type of dialogue to search for some creative solutions.”
He said county officials were living up to their promise.
“The CAO’s office has made a commitment to work with us and we have already started taking steps toward that end,” Vellardita said.
“We’re looking for some creative, out-of-the-box type of thinking,” he added.
The need for layoffs developed as a result of state and federal cutbacks on grants.
The Department of Community Services and Workforce Development operates entirely from grant funding. The county does not use general fund money to run CSWD.
Recently, the federal government approved a 17-percent reduction in funding going to California from the Workforce Investment Act, one of the main sources of revenue for programs such as CSWD.
With state officials already making deep cuts in the proposed budget, the reduction of federal funds means CSWD will lose an estimated $323,747 from its 2003-04 budget.
After reducing funds for training, travel and other discretionary items, CSWD Director Kathy Flores said the department had no other way of achieving a balanced budget than by eliminating the positions.
Because CSWD is funded by grants, county officials said they had follow their policy of not picking up the cost of lost grant revenues.
“To supplant the lost grant funds would mean taking away funding from another department,” Solorio said.
