The Santa Barbara County supervisors voted 4-1, with 2nd District Supervisor Gregg Hart dissenting, to increase their pay and other benefits at their Oct. 8 meeting in Santa Maria.
The raise aims to track the Consumer Price Index for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim area, which describes the cost of goods and what consumers pay for them. The ordinance passed included four parts. It called for a 3 percent pay increase to track the Consumer Price Index and continue tying annual salary increases with the index, maxing out at 3 percent. The second part included a 0.8 percent cost sharing for pensions of board members in legacy retirement plans. The measure also called for the county to contribute the same 2.5 percent increase to board members that other county employees on county health insurance plans will receive. The final notch up in benefits was a $7 increase in the automobile allowance to match that of other government officials.
In 2018, supervisors made $73,689.28 in “regular pay,” according to Transparent California. But once “other pay,” and benefits were included, no supervisor made less than $113,000. Steve Lavagnino led the supervisors with more than $133,000 in total pay and benefits.
Public comments featured one attendee who railed against the “corrupt” board.
The pay raise passed without further comment or discussion from the Board of Supervisors.
This article appears in Oct 10-17, 2019.