OAKLAND, Calif. (CN) — Oakland’s mayor just got a 6.5% raise, after asking for the lowest possible mandated pay increase amid the city's budget crisis.
Oakland’s human resources team recommended increasing Mayor Sheng Thao's nearly $203,000 salary as it is below the mayoral pay rates of other cities. Oakland's Finance and Management Committee endorsed the increase, of as much as 37% higher or $75,000, in a 3-1 vote.
But ahead of the last Oakland City Council meeting before an August recess, Thao on Tuesday asked for the lowest raise allowable under city charter specifications. The City Council approved that low-level increase, which bumps her salary by $13,000, putting it at around $216,000 annually.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed, who earns $357,000, is the highest paid mayor in the state. California’s largest city, Los Angeles, pays Mayor Karen Bass $301,000. Thao also earns less than the new Oakland City Administrator Jestin Johnson, who now earns $340,000 according to the city.
Oakland faces a historic budget deficit of $360 million, and the news of a raise for the mayor generated some pushback from regular critics of Thao online and in the City Council meeting Tuesday. Oakland’s NAACP chapter said Monday supporters would rally at City Hall to oppose paying Thao more.
The chapter and its president Cynthia Adams recently disagreed with Thao’s decision to fire former Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong in February. City Councilmember Janani Ramachandran also opposed the mayor’s salary bump, as well raises for the city attorney and city auditor.
According to Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas, the last time an Oakland mayor received a pay increase was in 2013. The city has been regularly increasing mayoral salaries since 1988 to be no less than 70% and no more than 90% of the average city manager salaries from comparable California cities.
The Oakland City Council reviews and may adjust the mayor’s salary in each odd-numbered year. Voters approved the salary raise decision being in the hands of the city’s Public Ethics Commission through Measure X in 2022.
Thao asked councilmembers to approve the lowest amount possible since the city is trying to address a significant deficit.
“As a leader I know this is in the best interest of the city’s fiscal health, and it is also the right thing to do,” Thao wrote.
The mayor promised that if the council approved a salary increase that is higher than the lowest possible, she would reject it and refund any exceeding amount back into the city’s general fund. She also said she is working on a ballot measure that would move the responsibility for the mayor’s salary from the City Council to the independent Public Ethics Commission, which currently handles the city attorney and auditors’ salaries.
According to Transparent California, Oakland's previous mayor, Libby Schaaf, made about $181,000, compared to Armstrong who made nearly $262,000 in base pay before benefits. Many of Armstrong’s staff members' salaries were similar to the mayor’s pay — including Sergeant Michael Chung, who was the focus of an external investigation that helped drive Thao’s decision to fire Armstrong.
Multiple city employees, including the mayor’s special assistant, assistant city attorneys and the director of human services, made more than Thao in base pay alone in 2021, data shows.
In Tuesday’s hearing, some commenters said Thao does not deserve a pay raise. Others said more outrage should be directed at the city approving budget increases for Oakland Police Department, and paying $800,000 to settle two lawsuits alleging Oakland Police Department officers harmed civilians.
Ramachandran decried the fact that the the city charter recommends keeping the mayor’s salary in line with comparable cities’ city manager’s salaries, and also noted that San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan earns only $209,000.
Councilmember Treva Reid said it felt inappropriate to approve the pay raise after hearing from East Oakland residents in dire risk of displacement from the hotel they live in, Coliseum Connections. She said the city still lacks sufficient funds to maintain all of its services.
City staff said the budget, which keeps some positions vacant, leaves funds available for the raise.
Staff also noted that the mayor could voluntarily take a pay cut, and that the city council would not be penalized in any way if she did so.
Fortunato Bas said that the council must act to stay in compliance with the charter, adding that the city just passed a balanced $4.2 billion budget with no layoffs.
“This particular item has become extremely politicized,” Councilmember Carroll Fife said. She moved to increase Thao’s salary by the lowest possible amount.
The council approved that increase by 6-2 with Reid and Noel Gallo opposed.
Fife also moved to direct the city administrator to revive a proposal for a 2024 ballot measure to decide whether to transfer the responsibility for setting the mayor’s salary to the independent Public Ethics Commission. That motion passed 6-2 with Gallo and Ramachandran against.
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