Politics & Government
Sonoma City Council Earns Less Than State Salary Guidelines
On the heels of the discovery of inflated public salaries in Bell, Calif, a Los Angeles Times investigation reveals that most cities in the state pay within recommended guidelines.
Sonoma City Council members get an average of $6,080 a year for their work, including a $1,693 healthcare benefit, according to an investigation of council salaries by the Los Angeles Times released Tuesday.
The salaries are much lower than the $12,191 guideline set by the state, a trend that was repeated in many California cities, the analysis of salaries from the State Controller's Office found.
The investigation comes on the heels of the corruption in Bell, Calif. where council members took home up to $100,000 a year, while the City Manager made more than $1 million. Eight people were arrested.
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Other Sonoma County cities fared about the same as Sonoma, all paying their councils less than is required by the state. In Petaluma, city council members received an average of $8,131 a year, while in Rohnert Park the average was $10,948.
However, in Napa, council members were paying themselves an average of $47,700 a year, more than twice the amount recommended by the state, according to the investigation. Napa Patch is chasing the story as we speak.
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