Outsourcing

COSTA MESA — Continuing with his plan to overhaul the city's structure, Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer on Tuesday will ask his peers on the City Council to begin the process of making Costa Mesa a charter city with its own set of laws and regulations. But council critics say forming a charter city is a way to avoid the lawsuits over the decision to outsource 40% of city employees. Righeimer said the charter that will be presented to the public is just scaffolding for what Costa Mesa residents would want to see in their own charter, or city constitution.

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.

COSTA MESA — A lawsuit filed in May by city employees hoping to stop the proposed mass layoffs has tentatively been scheduled for April 9, city officials confirmed Friday. The complaint by the Costa Mesa City Employees Assn. argues that the City Council's decision earlier this year to outsource more than 40% of the city workforce violates state law. Orange County Superior Court Judge Tam Nomoto Schumann issued a temporary injunction against Costa Mesa over the summer that, until the case is resolved, prohibits the city from laying off its employees and replacing them with workers from the private sector.

In March, when the City Council majority decided to send layoff notices to nearly half the workforce, they told the public that they had no choice and that the city was on the brink of insolvency. The councilmen's budget projections changed depending on the point they wanted to make each day. So the Costa Mesa City Employees Assn. agreed to hire Harvey M. Rose and Associates, one of the state's most reputable public accountancy firms, to give the public a clear and reliable picture of the city's financial position.

Recent columns, commentary and article comments on the current outsourcing debate in Costa Mesa have left out one key detail — the fact that the city has long considered contracting out city services (outsourcing) a "…viable, realistic alternative to providing … services with city staff. " The reality is that outsourcing is an established policy and practice in Costa Mesa. In fact, consideration of outsourcing is a required element of the annual budget process. Twelve years ago, the Costa Mesa City Council adopted Council Policy 100-6, effective May 17, 1999, because "...[t]

COSTA MESA — Six months after more than 200 city workers were told they could lose their jobs to outsourcing, the City Council took its first concrete step in that direction Tuesday night. Officials put the first batch of city services out for bid. In three 4-1 votes, with Councilwoman Wendy Leece dissenting on each, the council approved soliciting bids for the city's jail services, building inspection and video production services. Leece said she didn't vote in favor because she thinks the process is politically motivated.

COSTA MESA — The City Council will consider sending out three requests for bids Tuesday that could outsource the city's video production, building inspection and jail services. The requests for proposals (RFPs) are the first three the city has released since voting to potentially offload more than 40% of the city's workforce in March. Limited by a court order to only outsource jobs to public agencies until a lawsuit employees filed against the city is resolved, the city can still entertain offers from agencies both public and private.

The hypocrisy that has become the hallmark of the Costa Mesa City Council majority was reinforced repeatedly at Tuesday's council meeting. While continuing to cry poor about the city's financial condition, the majority voted to authorize unlimited spending for two high-priced law firms in furtherance of its failed outsourcing scheme. Jones Day, the third firm retained to defend the city against a lawsuit filed by city employees, will charge $495 per hour while HansonBridgett from San Francisco will charge $295 to $325 per hour to advise the city's outsourcing agenda.

COSTA MESA — The City Council on Tuesday approved contracting with one law firm to see the city through its workforce outsourcing effort, and a second law firm to defend those contentious outsourcing plans in court. In a 3-1 vote, the council approved continuing to consult with Northern California-based HansonBridgett law firm at $295 to $325 an hour as Costa Mesa puts city services out for bids. Councilwoman Wendy Leece dissented. Councilman Eric Bever was absent. Costa Mesa also tapped the Jones Day law firm at $495 an hour to defend itself against a city employee group's lawsuit that challenges the proposed outsourcing.

COSTA MESA — Outsourcing will dominate Tuesday's City Council meeting, with the city looking to approve two legal services contracts related to possibly replacing city workers. More than six months since the council first approved replacing more than 40% of its work force with the private sector or another public agency, the agenda would move several pieces of the process toward that end. The council is looking to retain two HansonBridgett lawyers for $295 to $325 an hour to work with the city attorney's office on implementing layoffs in the coming months.