Icing on the Donut for City Workers

By Elizabeth Schneider

Oct. 10 -- It's crunch time for the City budget, but City employees received an extra treat this week -- thirty dozen Krispy Krème donuts daily, beach balls and shuttle service for the inconvenience of parking four blocks from City Hall.

The donuts, $2,000 worth, were handed out to workers between 6 and 9 a.m. everyday this week as they waited at the parking lot just south of Hotel Casa Del Mar for one of three shuttle buses to whisk them to work. On Monday workers were given beach balls when they reached their destination.

It is a way of saying "thank you," said City spokeswoman Judy Rambeau.

The shuttle service, which has been picking workers up and dropping them back off at the parking lot three times a day (morning, afternoon and evening), will only be operating this week during the swimwear fashion conference at the Civic Auditorium, Rambeau said.

Ever since the employee parking lot behind City Hall was removed to make way for the new $63 million police station, City employees have been forced to park at the Civic Auditorium lot down the block.

The beach shuttle service will be used "periodically as the need arises," Rambeau said.

A visit to the lot at 9 a.m. Thursday morning found the bus shuttling a single passenger the four blocks to work. Several workers were seen walking.

"It's a beautiful walk," one worker said. "Ten minutes on the nose, and I'm a fast walker."

Although it is unclear how many workers took the shuttle, one thing is certain -- there were plenty of leftover donuts.

"There's a box of Krispy Crèmes in the office," said the worker who walked. "I think it's a reward for getting to work."

"They have so many donuts," said one employee, who regularly takes the bus to work. "We're actually donuted out."

The next time the City will use the service will be on Halloween, when another large event is scheduled at the Civic Auditorium.

"Our employees have kindly gone along with the plan," Rambeau said.