Season of giving

San Leandro officials to give themselves a second pay raise this year; Hayward set to give firefighters a 19.5% raise; Sputtering Wahab recall makes another attempt at getting petition approved

CITY NEWS

SAN LEANDRO

—COUNCIL PAY INCREASES—East Bay city councils doling out raises for themselves have been the rage of 2023.

—San Leandro officials will vote tonight to increase the mayor’s pay by $13,844 a year. Councilmembers will receive a $6,920 annual boost in pay.

—Notably, Monday night’s council pay raise item is listed on the consent calendar. If the item is not pulled from consent by a councilmember, the pay increase item could be approved without public debate.

—The increase in pay, however, will not be effective until January 2025 after a new council is sworn-in.

—Nevertheless, the current group of San Leandro councilmembers discussed pay raises last year.

—Led by Councilmember Fred Simon, who also sought a pay raise this year from his service on the elected Oro Loma Sanitary District Board of Director, the San Leandro City Council approved a five percent raise, effective Jan. 1, 2023.

—POLICE CHIEF REPORT EXPECTED—An independent investigation of San Leandro Police Chief Abdul Pridgen’s alleged violation of the department’s policies is expected to arrive some time this week.

—Pridgen was abruptly placed on paid administrative leave last September. Very little is known about the specific reasons for the move by the city manager, but it’s believed to be an issue between Pridgen and the department’s rank-and-file.

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