Oakland Officials Push for Mammoth $75K Mayoral Pay Raise Amid Unprecedented Budget Crisis

As Oakland grapples with the largest budget deficit in its history, the City Council's finance and management committee has endorsed a substantial pay raise for Mayor Sheng Thao. This proposed increase would boost Thao's salary by around $75,000 annually, despite the fact that the city is struggling with a budget deficit of approximately $360 million, mentioned by Councilmember Janani Ramachandran.

The Oakland City Charter, which determines the pay structure for the mayor's salary, suggests that it should fall between 70% and 90% of the average salaries for city managers in six California cities with similar populations to Oakland. According to Oakland's Human Resources Department, Thao's current salary is lower than the salaries for city managers in the mentioned cities, prompting the recommendation of a salary increase to $277,974.54, which is the maximum of the charter's allowed range, as Mercury News reported.

Ramachandran, however, expressed concerns about the comparison of the mayor's salary to city managers, calling it "apples to grapes," and arguing that the mayor's role, being an elected position, is distinct from city managers, who hold appointed, more technical roles. While Ramachandran opposes the current proposed figure, she supports a general raise for the mayor, recommending a salary increase towards the lower end of the charter's range, around 75%.

Addressing the funding of this salary increase in the midst of a faltering economy, a CBS San Francisco article noted that the Human Resources Department stated that the increased salary for the mayor is "being accounted for in the department budget as a part of the biennial budget planning" for fiscal years 2023-25. Furthermore, the department argued that an equitable and proportional distribution of pay is necessary, pointing out that Thao's subordinate currently earns more than she does.

Some Oakland residents are questioning the timing of this pay raise proposal, as Thao has only been in office for six months, with Assata Olugbala, a member of the public, expressing her skepticism at the meeting and quoted in the CBS San Francisco report. Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas, who endorsed the proposal, argued that the mayor's salary hasn't been increased for a decade.

The proposal was ultimately approved in a 3-1 vote by Bas and councilmembers Rebecca Kaplan and Kevin Jenkins, with Ramachandran being the sole dissenter as shown in KTVU. Oakland's full City Council is set to consider this hefty salary increase on July 18.