Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Thursday designed to increase the diversity of city council members in California by increasing salaries.
State Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, authored Senate Bill 329, which cleared the Legislature on June 13.
The new law “will remove barriers to achieving more equitable representation in local government by making it easier for public servants to balance careers and personal obligations,” Dodd said in a news release Friday.
It allows city councils to raise their maximum pay to keep pace with inflation as measured by the California Consumer Price Index.
Any increases would require a simple majority vote by a council.
Currently, city council salaries are capped based on the population size of cities, and the maximum pay hikes set by state law have not increased since 1984.
SB 329 is the 100th bill written by Dodd to be signed into law since he joined the Legislature in 2014 as a member of the Assembly, the most by any lawmaker during that period, according to the news release.
41 comments
If you look around we are very diverse now! Look at any city council, or agency and we are almost diverse to an extreme. What I mean by that is the people that used to be consideref a ‘minority’ are now the majority. And how is more money going to improve that?
You know the BS of this subject and the BS spouted by Newscum is so bad I can smell it just reading it.
I can’t think of one city council in this area that’s worth a damn. All politicians are so misguided and warped it’s a joke and now they get raises? Wow .
Newscum doesn’t give a sh*t, It’s not his money!
How does increased pay increase diversity-
The headline was created to make outrage. It’s nonsense. They increased pay. The end.
ROBERT,
.
This is not nonsense!!! This is politicians using government to financially benefit other politicians!!!
.
You’re incorrect, the signing of this California State Legislature bill by Governor Newsom hasn’t increased City Council pay, but the signing of this bill allows City Council’s throughout California to vote themselves a greater pay raise than the previous law allowed.
.
The headline wasn’t “created” to cause, or “make,” outrage among Californian’s, but the writing, introduction, passing, signing, and implementation of this bill is what has and will cause outrage and anger among the public.
It doesn’t. But the Bill will look good to the “diverse” in his next campaign.
The barrier to “diversity” on city councils is the cost to run a campaign to win a seat, not the amount paid once elected. Developers, medical companies, and unions spend such large amounts of money during campaigns, including sending out mass hate mailers as the construction trades did to Debora Allen during the Contra Costa County Supervisor race, that it is very hard for anyone not endorsed by one of the three to win.
Increasing pay for councilmembers will only create another class of lifetime career politicians.
Cities like Concord who have endorsed and won an extra sales tax should not be allowed to do this. How long will voters keep putting up with politicians who always find money for themselves but none for constituents? Don’t like the pay? Resign.
Walnut Creek Council is all Democrats and doing a lousy job…still working from home? or Ghosting everyone.
You have no idea the demographic on Walnut Creek that obvious
Well, we do know they couldn’t be more lily white.
https://www.walnut-creek.org/government/city-council
The top four most terrifying words in the English language when trumpeted in California:
“Governor Newsom Signs Bill.”
Uh oh, that can’t be good news. And it never is.
The Concord City Council has repeatedly said that they need to increase the pay for Councilmembers in order to attract “diverse” and “quality” people to run for Council, because “diverse” and “quality” people wouldn’t run for the position for such little compensation as the Council currently gets. This thinking is when the Concord City Council began voting themselves a raise every two years, I believe they’ve been voting themselves a 4% pay raise every two years, 2% each year. When the Concord City Council began giving themselves a raise every two years, sometime around 2017-2018, they actually made the argument that they had to give themselves a raise because they couldn’t trust a future incarnation of the Concord City Council to do the “right thing” and give themselves a small pay raise, when they could give themselves a larger pay raise. With the logic this Council has used in justifying a pay raise every two years, they’ve admitted that none of them are “quality” people, because “quality” people wouldn’t run for office for such little pay, and that “future Councilmembers can’t be trusted to do the right thing,” because “only the current and past incarnations of the Council can be trusted to do the right thing.” Each sitting Concord City Councilmember knew what the pay was when they ran for office, if they didn’t like the pay, then they shouldn’t have run for the position, after all, NOBODY asked them to do the job, they sought out the position of their own free will!!!
.
As long as the Concord City Council claims that Concord’s finances are so bad that we have to maintain that permanent 1% increase in the sales tax, then they should lead by example and not vote themselves any pay raises!!!
.
Just last Tuesday, the Concord City Council had an agenda item to vote the Concord City Manager and the Concord City Attorney a 5% raise for 2023 and a 5% raise for 2024. It was just a couple weeks ago that the Concord City Council voted for the “deep green” option for the type of energy they purchase and use from MCE, which is costing the City of Concord a 10% increase in energy costs this year. Does it really appear to you that the Concord City Council is being good stewards of our money?
.
If the Concord City Council can see fit to be frivolous and waste Concord’s money, then the Citizens of Concord should put the 1% permanent increase in the sales tax back on the ballot and repeal it!!!!!
Of course Newscum will endorse it – it raises the bar… in time it gives him the excuse to give him a raise….
This bill will only enrich and ensconced the seated city council.
What a travesty for our City.
The constituents are screwed once again.
California is doomed to implode in the near future. The current path is unsustainable, plain and simple! Get out while you can…
LARRY,
.
Get out of California and go where? The fact is if California implodes, so does the rest of the United States.
Wow, that’s the trouble with Californians, they think they’re the center of the universe but in reality are the laughing stock of the country!
SID,
.
I don’t think California is the center of the universe at all, I really don’t care for California all that much, which is why I have property in another state. The problem with my out of state property is that it’s surrounded on 3 sides by BLM. The Bureau of Land Management and their agents are horrible neighbors! Getting back to California, the fact is that if California implodes, so does the rest of the country. Implosion will lead to a mass exodus that surrounding states couldn’t handle, just look at how poorly states are handling their homeless and illegal alien populations. Do you really think surrounding states could handle millions of California refugees? The lack of fuel that would normally power cars leaving the state and the lack of fuel that would normally come from California would be devastating to the American west. Not to mention the sheer number of products that come from or travel through California that the rest of the country depends on that wouldn’t arrive at out of state destinations. Do you really think President Biden and the federal government has the ability to rescue California after an implosion to keep the entire country running? You are correct though that California has made itself a laughing stock target.
A truly diverse city counsel should be made up of diverse political parties. Diversity should not be limited to a mix of ethnic groups, but also a mix of political parties. True equality should be a blend of Independents, Republicans, Democrats, and Libertarians. But that means the Dems might lose control, and they certainly don’t want that to happen.
DAWG,
.
It wasn’t that long ago that the Concord City Council had a Republican majority, with the election and appointment of Ron Leone, Tim Grayson, and Dan Helix, but just prior to or after being seated the three of them changed their political affiliation from Republican, to Decline to State or Democrat, to help their political futures and make it easier to be reelected and/or seek higher office. It was also former Concord City Councilmember Mark DeSaulnier that made up a Republican majority 30 years ago, that resulted in him being appointed and elected to higher office, where he then also switched parties, which is why he’s still in office today.
.
Taking three steps would allow for a more diverse City Council in most areas of yhe country.
.
1. Eliminating the “non-partisan” office that most City Council’s are in California and other states would be the first step in electing in a spectrum of Councilmembers from different parties.
.
2. Eliminating the “Decline to State” or “Independent” option on Voter Registration Forms in most states would be the second step in electing candidates of at least the two major parties and possibly third party candidates, but that wouldn’t make much of a difference in California because we have an open primary system. Although, the open primary can allow voters to use their vote to nominate a candidate of a different party that doesn’t have a chance of winning, in order to give a candidate of their party an advantage in a general election, but that doesn’t apply to but a handful of cities in California.
.
3. The third step is for the different political parties to return to their past practice of running or nominating candidates that fit the council, district, state, or office in which a candidate is running. This means Democrats need to stop running progressive candidates in a conservative area and Republicans need to stop running the most conservative candidates in a progressive or liberal area. Running candidates that more closely fit the political ideology of the population and/or voter base within the geographic boundaries of the district in which a candidate is running.
Stop this insane out of control state.We are all going to be under complete control of our government.If you can’t see it coming you are blind.Out with the Democrats now!
Most of the time pays based on performance but not in government
SCHMEE,
.
True, education, experience, and performance of the quantity and quality of work produced generally matters in the private sector, but not so much in government and definitely not in politics.
Guess price of mirrors must have gone up
Happy 4th of July everyone. Let’s try to be more like our British brothers and sisters. Even under bombardment during WWII they didn’t complain and moan as much as East Bay residents. Stop complaining and being negative. Happy Holiday’s.
Oh, no…. the Brit’s are excellent word masters and of dry approach. They complain and moan more than most; just not in our dialect….
🙄… Let me finish that thought: …but then, much the same as in WW1, they had us! Our men (and women) left home, job and family behind to fend for themselves — while they went “OverThere” to help fight against European tyranny-from-within.
You have a nice Independence Day as well, Robert.
ROBERT,
.
The British couldn’t win a war on their own and lack the freedoms that Americans have. They have “hate speech” laws, and have to be careful not to say or write the wrong things. Like most Europeans, they get their rights from government, we get our rights from birth, nature, and our mere existence.
There are many reasons we kicked those good for nothing a-holes out of our country 250 years ago.
@Robert
Yeah, let’s all be more like Harry.
Garvin should be in the movies. He’s perfected the egotistical phony actor image.
Raising pay is just another one dimensional solution to anything. It also raises inflation. There has to be a better way.
.
Fundamentally, why is it even up to lawmakers in Sacramento to allow the maximum pay of local elected officials?
.
In my opinion, local elected officials (cities and counties) should not receive a salary but rather only stipend to offset some, not all, of their time and expenses. This would prevent “professional politicians” like London Breed and Libby Schaaf.
I thought city council was not supposed to receive a salary?
The problem as I see it is State Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, who authored Senate Bill 329, plus the 100 other bills. We need a new bill to limit the amount of bills one person can write.
LOU,
.
Unless some or all of those other 99 bills by California State Senator Bill Dodd that actually became law repealed other bad, unnecessary, and/or out-of-date laws. Unlikely, but it’s a miniscule possibility. Bills repealing laws are the types of bills we need!!
Exit 12A,
.
Concord City Councilmember – District 1 and Concord Mayor Laura Hoffmeister – Going on 26 years and counting.
.
Concord City Councilmember – District 4 and Concord Vice Mayor Edi Birsan – Going on 11 years and counting.
.
Concord City Councilmember – District 2 – Carlyn Obringer – Going on 7 years and counting.
.
Concord City Councilmember – District 4 – Dominic Aliano – Going on 5 years and counting.
.
Concord City Councilmember District 5 – Laura Nakamura – Going on 8 months and counting.
.
Concord Mayor Laura Hoffmeister used her position on the Concord City Council as a stepping stone to seek higher office when she attempted to be appointed to the position of Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder in 2019.
.
Concord Vice Mayor Edi Birsan used his position on the Concord City Council as a stepping stone to seek higher office when he ran for Contra Costa County Supervisor – District 4 in 2022.
.
Concord City Councilmember Carlyn Obringer used her position on the Concord City Council as a stepping stone to seek higher office when she ran for Contra Costa County Supervisor – District 4 in 2022.
Being retired and still fairly young I can not really care about anything from this point on..well actually going on 12 years of not caring.
Politicians suck..period…all of them.
A little something to read and ponder on pay,
https://bustednuckles.net/need-to-go-back-to-this/
Diversity has now encompassed the wealthy? Leave it to a Socialist Democrat to call up with that malarkey. Psssst. The cost of living always increases when government salaries go up.
Comments are closed.