HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-07-2013 B2 JenkinsSTEW JENKINS
ATTORNEY
1336 Morro Street, San Luis Obispo CA 93401
Phone: (805) 541 -5763 FAX: (805) 547 -1608
May 7, 2013
Jan Marx, Mayor
John Ashbaugh, Kathy Smith, Dan Carpenter, Council Members
San Luis Obispo City Hall
JUNCIL MEETING: 4 --►
ITEM NO.:
Re: Contemplated $7,220 pay increase for the position of City Attorney
Dear Mayor and Council Members:
I want to preface this note with the observation that the current City Attorney is competent and
professional. This letter is not about the current occupant of the job, but about the lack of wisdom in
raising the pay of any management officer of our City government at a time when rank and file city
employees, city police, and city firefighters have incurred very significant cuts in their
compensation. The City Attorney is such a management position.
To increase the salary of a significant position, like the City Attorney, or the City Manager, sets a
very bad example for the other women and men who served our residents with significantly less pay
for the same job this year that they received last year.
The compensation received by the City Attorney is already appreciably higher than the median
salary paid to attorneys throughout the state of California [$139,152 annually]. On a per capita basis
the current salary also is questionable. The residents of Santa Maria, a city with a population of
100,200 each pay $1.86 for the services of their City Attorney. The City of San Luis Obispo, with
45,525 residents could be presumed to have somewhat fewer legal issues for the City Attorney to
handle than our sister city to the south (with over twice the population). Yet if the Council decides
to raise the City Attorney's pay to $167,220 the salary paid for that public office by each man,
woman and child living in SLO will amount to $3.68 for that City Officer's services: Very close to
Double what the residents of Santa Maria pay for an equal or greater level of service.
The position is currently well paid, and arguably overpaid given the wide variety of competent
attorneys available to perform the job at $20,000 to $30,000 less than the current salary is set at. As
representatives of this City's residents, set a better example for the rest of the employees who work
for the City. Decline the urge to raise the salary
Stew Jenkins