Costa Mesa Update: Layoff Notices Rescinded; Supreme Court Upholds Injunction
The victories for Labor continue in Costa Mesa. On Tuesday, November 20, 2012, the Costa Mesa City Council instructed the City’s CEO to rescind the mass layoff notices it had issued in March of 2011. The issue made national news tragically when one of the workers who received a layoff notice, 29-year-old Huy Pham, committed suicide by jumping off the roof of City Hall.
The layoffs stemmed from the City’s attempt to privatize nearly all City services, allegedly to save money. However, Costa Mesa had a $3.8 million budget surplus in 2011. The privatization attempt was met with legal action by the Orange County Employee Association (OCEA), the Union that represents many City workers. The OCEA sought an injunction against the City, preventing it from instituting the layoffs, until the case was resolved. The trial court granted the injunction in July of 2011.
The City appealed the trial court’s decision. However, the injunction was upheld by the Court of Appeal in August of 2012. The City then appealed to the California Supreme Court, which rejected their appeal last Wednesday. The California Supreme Court also rejected the City’s request to depublish the Court of Appeal’s decision.
While the legal battle raged on, anti-union groups sought a ballot measure which would have made Costa Mesa a charter city. Becoming a charter city would have allowed Costa Mesa to write its own laws concerning the privatization of City services. However, this November, the measure was soundly defeated.
Author: Jake White
