A southern California city in an uproar after nearly half the workforce received layoff notices last week, including one who jumped to his death, has hired a spokesman for $3,000 a week. Costa Mesa, an Orange County city, retained former Los Angeles Times reporter Bill Lobdell, who previously worked as an editor of the local Daily Pilot. Mayor Gary Monahan told the Orange County Register that he made the hire because the city's website and ability to interact with residents are "incredibly bad shape," and its "entire communications system is just poor." Lobdell, who will become the city's first formal...