Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao may be getting a $75,000 pay increase

Embattled mayor is not seeking the increase herself, but expect a ferocious debate in Oakland; Campaign Finance Data, and more

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao. The mayor currently earns $202,999 a year.

CITY NEWS

OAKLAND

—DOLLAR BILLS, Y’ALL—It’s been a very rough first six months in office for Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and the city’s problems continue to mount.

—In the past week, the annual illegal fireworks extravaganza in Oakland yielded zero citations issued by Oakland PD, and the city’s 9-1-1 infrastructure is essentially broken.

—Despite it all, Thao is in line for a $75,000 pay increase, according to a staff report for Tuesday morning’s Oakland City Council Finance and Management Committee meeting.

—Thao is not seeking the wage adjustment, it’s mandated by the Oakland City Charter, which calls for the mayor’s salary to be no less than 70 percent and no more than 90 percent of the average salary of city managers and CEOs of California cities.

—The cities used to create the average for Thao’s wage adjustment include similarly sized cities, such as Sacramento, Anaheim, Stockton, Long Beach, Bakersfield, and Fresno.

—Oakland’s mayor currently earns $202,999 a year. The survey of cities bumps the pay scale to $277,974 at its highest point (90 percent of average and recommended by staff), and $216,202 (70 percent of the average).

—The staff reports notes that Thao’s currently salary is nearly $22,000 a year less than the position of Special Assistant to the Mayor III.

—While there is a strong argument that the mayor should not be earning less than a subordinate, the wage increase is still a difficult ask.

—Oakland just closed a $360 million two-year budget shortfall less than two weeks ago and the state of the city does not appear to be improving in the eyes of many residents.

MORE INSIDE:

• CITY NEWS: San Leandro contemplates tax-revenue ballot measure

• COUNTY NEWS: A plan to entice more county workers

• Reparations, Elections Commissions appointments

• ELECTION 2024: Alameda County GOP is cash poor

• Campaign finance data for July 1-9