Thanks to voters, Alameda elected officials are getting a really big raise

How much do Alameda elected officials make now? $50 a meeting; Supervisor Nate Miley gains another primary challenger

Alameda City Council chambers. PHOTO/Steve Tavares

CITY NEWS

ALAMEDA

—PAY ME MY MONEY DOWN—Alameda’s mayor and four council mates are set to get a huge pay increase tonight. That’s the clickbait. The reality is members of the Alameda City Council have basically worked for free since the 1970s.

—Alameda Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft earns just $3,600 a year. Alameda councilmembers make $1,200 a year. Local public officials typically don’t make much money, but it’s truly remarkable that anyone would do this job for such a pittance.

—Out of fears that good candidates in Alameda were being dissuaded from running for local office because of the dreadful pay, the city placed a charter measure on last November’s ballot to raise councilmembers pay in line with local cities of similar size. Voters agreed, approving Measure E with almost 54 percent support.

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

—Alameda city staff is recommending the council raise its pay to the maximum allowed under the new charter amendment, which $28,311 for the mayor, and $18,896 each for the four councilmembers. The total recommended council pay increase will add $105,700 annual to the city’s operating budget.

MORE INSIDE:

• CITY NEWS: Infrastructure week in San Leandro; council meeting time change coming

• COUNTY NEWS: Yet another Price town hall under the banner of Heaven

• Price recall update

• ELECTION 2024: Big-name endorsements for Salwan in Fremont

• County supervisor gets a third primary challenger

• Campaign finance data for Aug. 24 through Sept. 4

Subscribe to the full newsletter and get the scoop on Alameda County government and politics in your inbox every weekday morning at 6 a.m.

It’s what the insiders read.