Some City Workers Get Big Raises

February 14, 2011 11:18 PM

Sacramento City Hall (CBS)

Reporting Steve Large

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — As more city workers face pay cuts and layoffs amidst a ballooning deficit, a number of top city employees are receiving pay raises, prompting criticism from elected officials.

The city’s director of finance is getting a $19,000 raise to $150,000 a year, the director of human resources will receive a $11,000 raise to $162,000 a year and the community development director is getting an $8,000 raise to $172,000 a year. All of the raises were granted by interim city manager Gus Vina.

Councilmember Sandy Sheedy said she is surprised at the timing of the payouts, which come while the city faces a $40 million deficit and is preparing to cut more workers from the payroll.

City employees have been “saying, what is this? We’re taking furloughs, we’re getting pay cuts, we’re losing people, we’re having to do two and three jobs,” Sheedy said.

Vina released a statement, saying, “As we enter another year in dealing with yet another deficit, I found from an employee retention standpoint, an adjustment was necessary.”

Stationary Engineers Local 39 union leaders plan to meet Tuesday with Vina about the budget, and say they are no longer supporting him to take over the city manager position on a permanent basis.

“I think this is a poor judgment by Mr. Vina, giving raises to overpaid managers,” said director of public employees Joan Bryant.

cowtownferret

And this surprises who? Everyone knows that those in politics do not care for anything or anyone but themselfs.
Jeff Wilson

Couldn’t agree more. They get a pay raise of over 10%. Damn that must be nice. Most jobs I have worked you might get 2-5% if you get a raise at all!! F’ing Government. I say down with them all!
me

You think those raises are high, and the titles are impressive. But none can compare to the school superintendent for San Juan Unified School Dist. She took her raise this year and is making $268,000.00 a year. Thats a little over a quarter of a million dollars!!! Not sure of the exact amount just whats going thru the grapevine…….But its up in that area…
Cliff

Pathetic losers. In Mayor Johnsons’ pocket for an unwanted arena. Disgusting.
George R.

So Gus Vina felt he needed to give raises to managers, who helped Sacramento get into this fiscal mess, to retain their expertise?

Bull…if they want to leave, let them. There are many others who could take their place. Mr. Vina can also go and take his poor managing skills (?) with him.

No raises for Management, until furloughs and layoffs stop, and the regular workers get back to normal salaries.
Grant

As a city employee, I find this disturbing. In my department at my level we are doing all we can to make cut backs. We have been taking furloughs for quite sometime now. Jobs are getting retitled/reclassified in the effort to move money into the right places.

My job is great, I got 5+ years but, got a current fear of getting phased out. I have seriously began looking into other employment.
Tom

Just as I keep saying to you pepole of this state and all americans it’s time we take are state and country back from these crooks . We need to rise up and protest just like Egyp and Iran until we do this this will just keep going on and on and on ,REMEMBER THEY WORK FOR US ! well we all know they work only for them selfs not the people
Randy

Another reason to Boycott Sacramento
fw8978

you forgot to add in her retirement contribution and health care amounts. probably puts her well over $300,000.
Arin Menges

HOWS ABOUT THAT BOYS-N-GIRS!!!THESE HIGHER-UPS
DONT GET IT..NEIGHBORS IN A NEIGHBORHOOD CAN ORGANIZE TO FIGHT CRIME WHEN ARE THE CALIFORIANS
GOING TO ORGANIZE OUTSIDE OF THESE PLACES OF UPCOMING PAY RAISES TO MAKE A BIG STINK SO THESE A-HOLES CAN SMELL THE SAME PROBLEM US CALIFORIANS SMELL!!!!
ARIN.
NEVADA CITY CA.
SPinner

I keep pouring my taxes down a hole in a vain attempt to fill the hole. It’s draining faster than it’s filling. Is the “talent” that we have in place worth over 10% raises in order to retain when the whole economy is shrinking?
Sarah

This makes me really sick. Here my husband is a police officer, not only has he not had a pay raise in years, but some of his police friends are loosing their jobs. discusting!!
CAM

I heard on the news this morning the reason for the pay raises is so these people will not leave their jobs. Let them leave. Good ridance. I’m sure there are QUALIFIED, UNEMPLOYED people out there that would be willing to do the job for half the salary and be happy they have a job. Everyone complains the city and state have no money. It doesn’t take a brainiac to figure out what needs to be done. These people need to learn to live on a smaller personal budget, just like everyone else. They don’t know what it’s like to stress over whether or not their is food and a roof for your family. They are SELFISH. Maybe instead of pay raises, they should be happy to get what they get, which is still overpaid and take their raises and invest in our schools education and help families with childcare needs. I think the City Manager has let the position go to his head, well, he needs to take a pay cut as well. Again, let him walk. Everybody is replaceable.
jim peck

The same arguement given by Wall Street banks regarding multimillion bonuses for the same idiots who perpetrated a lot of the financial mess that almost brought the world’s banking industry to ruin. At the same time that all kinds of investment/banking types had been let go, others were still getting milliions on top of their salaries to retian them, as if there weren’t others who would gladly take their places for less money. It defies logic. The rules need to be changed so that the city manger cannot give out raises by himself, particularly an interum.
Bert

You elected these folks and they appointed their buddies. AND further you will re-elect them so Quit Whining. You did it and continue to do it to yourself.