San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors approve $22K pay raise for themselves
The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to give its five-member board a significant pay raise.
The 3-2 vote raises the supervisors' salaries to $166,935 a year from $144,732 — a $22,203, or 15%, increase.
District 3 Supervisor Tom Patti and District 5 Supervisor Robert Rickman voted against the pay raise, while District 1 Supervisor Miguel Villapudua, District 2 Supervisor Paul Canepa, and District 4 Supervisor Steve Ding voted in favor of the increase.
The pay raise, which was determined without involving a committee, will set supervisors' pay at 70% of a superior county judge's salary.
The raise is set to go into effect on July 29.
The county's human resources director, Jennifer Goodman, told The Record comparable counties — including Alameda, Fresno, Santa Clara, and Ventura — also base supervisors’ pay on judges' salaries, choosing various percentages. She said her department arrived at 70% after factoring in the county’s population, number of employees, and the complexity of its operations.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, Rev. Ernest Williams told the board he was a former employee of the city of Stockton and never received such a large pay raise.
"Are you guys really worth a $22,000 raise? I mean, do you really need it? Most of you guys are business owners, farmers ... I don't quite understand why you think you need to be on par with San Joaquin County judges," Williams said.
No members of the public voiced support for the pay raise, and there was no discussion of the item among board members.
Additionally, effective July 20, a resolution will be amended to exclude members of the board of supervisors from future cost-of-living adjustments. Future adjustments to their salary will be considered as part of an annual review process to determine if their salary should remain at 70% of what county judges make.
If an adjustment is warranted, human resources will return to the board to agendize an action to consider such an adjustment, according to Goodman.
The board's vote comes seven weeks after the Stockton City Council approved an ordinance that will increase the pay of council members and the mayor in January.
Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at hworkman@recordnet.com or on Twitter @byhannahworkman. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
This article originally appeared on The Record: San Joaquin County supervisors approve $22K pay raise for themselves
