ARNOLD'S CUTS HIT SERVICES STATE OFFICES EXPECTED TO STAY OPEN, BUT DISRUPTIONS SEEN.

Byline: Rick Orlov and Harrison Sheppard

Staff Writers

A day after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered the layoffs of more than 10,000 state employees, officials said they expect that state facilities such as Department of Motor Vehicle offices, parks and beaches will stay open -- but the lines could be longer and the service worse.

Schwarzenegger's order, an effort to free up some cash during the ongoing budget stalemate, technically took effect Friday. But most state agencies were still struggling to identify employees who would be affected and draft plans to deal with the reduced work force.

Still, already at places like the DMV office in Van Nuys -- where the wait for walk-ins already routinely lasts longer than an hour -- customers worried that a shortage of employees would make the experience even more miserable.

On Friday, a line of customers snaked out the door -- and that was just to take a number and actually begin the wait.

A sign on the door indicated that because of state budget cuts, the office would not take walk-ins after 3p.m.

"This is crazy," said Veronica Hodges, a Van Nuys resident, as she tried to calm her 1-year-old who was crying in a stroller as her other three children played nearby.

"This is so inconvenient. I don't even want to imagine longer lines."

Thevarith Chantharone of Sherman Oaks said he waited about 2 1/2 hours to renew his license and register his car.

"It doesn't make sense to me whatsoever to mess with the DMV," he said. "This is where everybody goes."

The DMV employs about 355 full- and part-time workers in eight offices around the San Fernando and Antelope valleys and Pasadena, but agency spokesman Steve Haskins said it is not clear yet how many of those will be let go under the governor's order.

Modifying services considered

The agency hopes to keep all its offices open, but may have to consider modifying services -- such as seeing customers by appointment only and reducing the frequency of driving tests, he said.

He encouraged residents to use the agency's Web site for services as much as possible to try to relieve congestion at the branch offices.

"We're working diligently to figure it out," he said. "We know that offices are going to be challenged, so we're moving people around to keep them open and meet our customers' needs as best we can," Haskins said.

Schwarzenegger's order comes a month after the state budget was due. Lawmakers have been gridlocked since July 1 over how to balance an estimated $15 billion deficit.

After years of slashing services to make up for previous deficits, Democrats are proposing almost $10 billion in tax increases.

But, with GOP support essential to win a two-thirds vote, Republican lawmakers have refused to budge on tax increases, insisting that the state has a spending problem, not a revenue problem.

The governor's order exempts employees who protect public health and safety and generate state revenue. That means state parks and beaches will stay open and lifeguards and park rangers will remain on the job -- as will fee collectors, said state Resources Agency Secretary Mike Chrisman.

"We're assessing this on a day-to-day basis," Chrisman said.

"The operations will continue. How they're going to be impacted, we don't know yet. We're going to do our best to keep meeting the goals and objectives."

Schwarzenegger's order also called for about 200,000 state workers to be paid only the federal minimum wage until the budget is passed. Once approved, they would receive their back wages.

State Controller John Chiang has said he will not comply with that order, but he could not prevent the layoff of temporary workers.

Some 10,300 workers were notified they will be fired. Most are expected to be eligible for federal unemployment benefits.

The union representing state workers filed two legal actions Friday to try to block the firings of temporary workers as well as the reductions in pay.

There are projections that as many as 20,000 workers could lose their jobs, the Service Employees International Union, Local 1000, said.

Basic services may be affected

Annelle Grajeda, president of the SEIU California State Council, said the cuts could affect the basic services the public receives.

"Hospitals, clinics, schools, community colleges, local governments and every California family who relies on these services are facing the reality that community pillars are no longer receiving funds from the state," Grajeda said.

"This game of kick-the-can has gone on long enough. We understand that a compromise means spending cuts. However, we urge our legislators to reject any plans to cut our community health-care systems, which families rely on during tough times like these."

Maria Elena Durazo, secretary-treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, urged the governor to reconsider his executive order.

"At a time when people are walking away from their homes because they cannot afford to make their mortgage payments or feed their children, these workers deserve the right to go in to work each day and that their wages will be sufficient," Durazo said.

The SEIU lawsuit, which the unions hope to have heard next week, seeks a temporary restraining order against the governor's executive order. The union represents 94,000 state workers.

Staff Writer Connie Llanos contributed to this report.

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