Austerity pains in the Golden State

Imagine living in a town where the budget is so tight, and the future looks so bleak, that the only solution the city leaders can think of is to outsource municipal jobs that are normally held by city employees. Welcome to the way it is in Costa Mesa, California. Life really is tough all over.

In March the city issued layoff notices to almost half the city's workforce. Many of those imperiled workers are represented by the Costa Mesa City Employees Association, which is in turn represented by the Orange County Employees Association – two union groups that have petitioned the courts to put a stop to the plan.

Judge Tam Nomoto Schumann is on the bench, and she has issued a preliminary injunction in the case, preventing the city from implementing its plans. She allowed the city until Friday to file objections, prior to the judge issuing her ruling.

At issue is whether the city has followed the proper processes when laying off workers, as well as the question of whether the workers being targeted for layoff can be legally laid off for the reasons given.

The Daily Pilot, a daily newspaper focusing on Costa Mesa, quotes City Attorney Tom Duarte from a press release, “This ruling doesn't affect the city's ability to research outsourcing possibilities and, if it's prudent, to outsource city jobs down the road.”

Clearly there is trouble brewing. No matter which side of the issue you're on, you're focused on the substance of the legal arguments, the process as it moves along, and ultimately – the judge's ruling. No matter which way it goes, it is a virtual guarantee that this issue will remain at the forefront of the minds of those hundreds of employees, and their families. City officials will have their hands full either way, too. They either have a fiscal problem, a public relations problem, or both. And no matter what they do, they are going to have at least one very sticky problem to work out.

Things truly are tough all over. This Costa Mesa case is a good reminder that the answers to difficult questions can be a whole lot harder to come to grips with than they might at first appear, especially if the people on the other side of the equation aren't in agreement with the solution you come up with.

It is good to remember that if the solution to one problem depends on a new problem being created for someone else – you may not have truly found the solution you were looking for. The people of Costa Mesa are certainly learning that lesson right now – regardless of whether they work for the city or not.

We'll be curious how the judge rules in this case. I'm sure you will be, too. Feel free to leave a comment if you have a thought, or hear the news before we do.