Alameda elected officials get paid $50 per meeting. A proposed ballot measure will give them a big raise

With the filing deadline around the corner, many Alameda County cities are discussing proposed November ballot measures

Alameda City Hall

CITY NEWS

ALAMEDA

—NEEDED CHARTER FIX—Elected officials asking voters for a raise, especially with raging inflation and a recession looming, would seem like a crazy endeavor. But get this: Alameda councilmembers, however, receive just $50 a meeting. On Tuesday night, a two-year ad hoc committee is recommending a charter ballot measure that would put Alameda on par with other, albeit still paltry, council salaries.

—The proposed November measure would tie council pay to 30 percent of the the median salary of the Bay Area jobs. For the mayor and councilmembers, this would be mean a annual salary of almost $26,000. If ultimately approved by Alameda voters, the wage increase would not go into effect until after the 2024 fall elections.

—The proposed increase is still low and may do little to entice mayoral and council candidates who are not, either, wealthy or retired, to run for public office. But the wage bump, would put Alameda in the salary neighborhood of other Alameda County.