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Costa Mesa To Layoff Nearly Half Of City Employees Due To Budget

COSTA MESA (AP) —The city of Costa Mesa is eliminating nearly half its workforce in a drastic move to plug an up to $15 million budget hole.

Councilwoman Wendy Leece failed Tuesday to get the council to revisit an earlier 4-1 decision to cut about 213 city jobs, including about 90 firefighters, 50 maintenance workers, 30 dispatchers and a dozen jail employees.

Costa Mesa is spending more than $15 million of its $93 million budget this year on pensions. The Orange County Register says that figure is expected to rise above $25 million within five years.

Councilman Jim Righeimer says $10 million to $15 million must be cut in the budget due July 1.

The Los Angeles Times says layoff notices go out Thursday telling workers their jobs will be outsourced in six months.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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