Orange County to lay off 210 social workers

Orange County to lay off 210 social workers
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Source: LA Times
Orange County officials plan to hand out layoff notices to 210 social workers on Dec. 29, and are preparing to proceed with even more job cuts. The employees will be given two weeks notice before they lose their jobs.
The job cuts come in response to deep cuts expected to state funding of social services programs, officials said last week.
About one-third of the targeted workers process public assistance claims for the needy and unemployed, said Herman Martinez, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees local in Orange County.
"The sad reality is we may one day see our co-workers in the lobby applying for benefits," he said. "There's not exactly an abundance of jobs out there, the way the economy is going."
An additional 4,000 social services employees will begin two weeks of mandatory unpaid leave in February.