TEMECULA -- The Red Cross has laid off a top employee at its Temecula office, but organization officials say this community can still expect the same level of service that has been provided in the past.

Dave Stovall, chief operations officer for the Riverside County Chapter of the Red Cross, was laid off in a move to reduce expenses throughout the county by about $230,000 in employee salary and benefit costs, said Pam Anderson, the chapter's executive officer, Wednesday.

"We look at a situation, and best utilize our resources," she said. "As far as our response and our ability to serve the community, we'll still be there."

Stovall had worked out of the Temecula office on Jefferson Avenue, supervising countywide programs such as health and safety, disaster services and new building construction, he said.

His duties will mostly be distributed to other directors, including Anderson and directors in Palm Desert and Riverside, Anderson said.

"Unfortunately, this is another cost-saving measure we needed to do so we could live within our budget," Anderson said. "Our contributions are down. We had to make some adjustments to operate accordingly. (Laying off Stovall) was a last resort. I'm heartbroken over the whole thing."

Those cost-savings measures included laying off about 50 percent of the Red Cross staff across the county. Anderson said the organization has made other cost-savings efforts, including renegotiating some of its contracts, such as the one for phone service. They also are looking to sublease their Palm Desert office, which would save about $38,000.

Remaining in the Temecula office are three staff employees, plus volunteers, although the office is still in transition, Anderson said. Several other employees at the office were laid off in August.

Volunteer meetings will still be held in Temecula, and equipment and supply levels will remain at their current level, she said.

The Red Cross, along with many other charities, has fallen on hard times. Contributions are down across the board as the economy continues its downward slump, Anderson said.

"I've talked to a lot of different charities who are cutting back and laying off," she said. "It's a national trend, not just us. Other nonprofit executives are concerned, looking at any way to reduce expenses."

The organization is getting a little help from its friends, though. The city of Temecula pays the group's rent, and has set aside about $57,000 for this fiscal year, Councilman Ron Roberts said.

"They were going to leave, go back to Riverside," he said. "I felt, we're down here where there's a lot of big events, such as fires, where in an emergency we (would) need the Red Cross."

Roberts forged ahead with the idea of helping the Red Cross, and put the funding request on a council agenda last spring. The city looked into finding a place with cheaper rent, but discovered that the facility the Red Cross now inhabits was the most suitable for the group's needs, he said.

If the charity's situation doesn't improve, Roberts said he will put in another request to the council to fund the Red Cross' rent again next year.

The Red Cross may be doing the best it can with its funds, but it is moving on without someone who the community has come to count on, officials said.

Stovall, who has worked for the Red Cross since 2000, said he expected the layoff notice he received Monday.

"When I first started, there were probably only about 50 (of my positions) across the country," he said. "Last time I checked, there were less than a dozen around."

Still, he said he will miss his job and the people and programs he worked with.

"It was all special," he said. "I really loved the job."

Anderson said anyone interested in hosting a fund-raiser for the Red Cross can contact the Temecula office at (909) 676-3711.

Contact staff writer Kelly Brusch at (909) 676-4315, Ext. 2626, or kbrusch@californian.com.