Costa Mesa California Lay's off 50 Percent of city workers..ONE EMPLOYEE JUMPS OFF THE CITY HALL!

50 percent layoffs to pay city pensions

The suicide death of a Costa Mesa city employee facing a possible layoff has sparked mourning and anger at Costa Mesa City Hall.

City maintenance worker Huy Pham jumped to his death from atop City Hall on Thursday, hours after the city announced it sent layoff notices to nearly half its city workers. Costa Mesa is making the cuts in an effort to reduce pension costs and contract out more city services to private firms.

On Friday, some employees flew into a rage as City Council members arrived at the scene of Pham's death Thursday. One man had to be held back by co-workers, and another cursed at Chief Executive Tom Hatch in the City Hall lobby, witnesses said.

"I feel as if the council and their quick-acting decisions pushed [Pham] over the edge," Daniel Jojola, who worked alongside Pham, said Friday as friends and co-workers gathered for a lunch next to the makeshift memorial for Pham at the spot where his body landed.