Mendocino County’s Board of Supervisors Vote Themselves a Pay Raise Amid Public Outcry
[L to R, Top to Bottom] Vice-Chair John Haschak, Supervisor Dan Gjerde, and Supervisor Ted Williams Supervisor Glenn McGourty and Chair Maureen Mulheren [Photo from the County of Mendocino]
The new pay scale will raise salaries from $95,302 to $110,715, bringing their total compensation package to $160,715 by 2026.
For comparison, data from the California State Controller indicates the total compensation package for supervisors is $105,284 in Lake County, $134,976 in Humboldt County, and $232,727 in Sonoma County.
A press release from the county described the decision as a “decisive move” that was met with “some controversy” to ensure fair compensation for county leadership. The release noted that the increase balances statutory obligations and future adjustments tied to the Department Head MOU. “The salary increase acknowledges the demanding nature of their roles, involving continuous oversight and advocacy for all county residents,” the release stated.
During the public comment period, A’Kesh Eidi, president of SEIU Local 1021, drew applause with his opening remark, “You want to do what now?!” Eidi criticized the board for using a different method to evaluate supervisor salaries compared to other county employees. He pointed out that SEIU members were compared with eight counties for their contract negotiations, leading to modest increases. In contrast, the board compared supervisor salaries with only three neighboring counties, including Sonoma, which skews the comparison due to its significantly higher pay.
Carrie Shattuck, a resident of Mendocino County’s 2nd District and former supervisor candidate, offered a scathing rebuke. She criticized the board for proposing raises amid the county’s financial crisis. “The county is in a financial crisis. It has given raises to all the highest-paid officials recently while knowing we cannot afford them,” Shattuck said. She also highlighted struggles faced by in-home support services workers and criticized the board’s focus on their own salaries over community needs.
Shattuck concluded by accusing the board of being out of touch with the community and suggested that recalls might be the only solution for addressing the issue. “This board is not deserving of a raise. It is shameful and disrespectful to all county employees that this is even on the agenda today,” she said.
2nd District Supervisor Glenn McGourty defended the salary hike, addressing the criticism from some community members. “There is a group of people who no matter what we do or what we say are not going to like this,” he said. McGourty acknowledged the need for fair compensation, given recent economic challenges and inflation, and described the job as “the hardest job of any that I’ve ever done.”
3rd District Supervisor John Haschak expressed discomfort with having to vote on his own salary increase calling it a “weird position” to be in.
Interruptions from the audience during Supervisor Haschak’s comments led Chair Mo Mulheren to call for order, stating, “If we could please not shout out. I understand that this is a really important topic.”
Haschak argued that delaying salary increases could unfairly impact new supervisors and criticized the notion that funds could be redirected to other county needs, saying, “It’s not like if we don’t give the supervisors salary increases, we’re going to be able to repair the buildings or provide the health care benefits.”
1st District Supervisor Mo Mulheren later defended her vote on social media, describing the it as “one of the most awkward” experiences of being an elected official. She argued that the pay increase is intended to attract more residents to public office, suggesting that it helps ensure that elected officials are committed to serving their community despite potential career gaps.
View the meeting here:
Earlier: Pay Raise Proposal for Mendocino County’s Board of Supervisors Under Fire
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Time to recall the lot of them.
They have no shame. They’ve given huge increases to the CEO, County Counsel, and now themselves. But they’ve screwed up County finances and they’re telling the employees there’s no money for them.
No money or WATER…
I hear Rex packed his bags and is heading to Mendo…!
Wishful thinking …
These knuckleheads, who were elected by a bunch of knuckleheads, are running Mendocino County right into the ground.
Have you BEEN to Ukiah? Willits?
A few people actually have money and businesses, and a lot of people are living in old Motel Rooms, crappy old houses, Travel Trailers and god knows what else…
The average income in Mendocino County is $32,000, and it hasn’t gone up much in 10 years…
Why do these idiots, and the idiots in charge of every other county, deserve large raises?
Life in Mendo is educational, but the working people there, the ones who actually have jobs and homes and substance, all commute in from somewhere else, and I met folks in Willits who commuted to San Rafael, to get a decent job…
No wonder, and it is amazing how many people have jobs where they do absolutely nothing of value while pretending to control everything else, and who are paid over $100,000/year!
Same thing in Lake County, same thing in Humboldt County…
And, not a few of these folks actually got their jobs, by running unopposed!
Life is weird, people are kinda funny, but Governments, are all disturbingly corrupt, incompetent and nepotistic, and the most toxic narcissists, are sitting in “Supervisor’s Seats” all over Northern California…
“Hmmmm, what should we do today?” “I know, let’s give ourselves a raise!”…
Salaries of Mendocino County Employees:
According to Indeed, the average salary for a Mendocino County employee ranges from $35,111 per year for a Senior Staff Assistant to $202,199 per year for an Environmental Health Officer. Hourly pay ranges from $19.46 for a Senior Staff Assistant to $60.39 for Counsel. For example, the average hourly pay for a Deputy Sheriff is $35.61, which is 36% higher than the national average. Glassdoor also lists salaries for other County of Mendocino positions, including Social Worker and Staff Assistant.
Hey, enjoy being the only ones keeping up with the costs of living, who actually live in your county!
Same thing in Del Norte county.
Humboldt sup’s did this also, should be a ballot measure.
OH, and I loved THIS story:
https://sfstandard.com/2024/07/25/hair-salons-tips/
Last time I paid for a haircut was 2011, and it was $30.
No public employee (except in education) should be paid more than the average household income. Period.
yyyeeeeaa, that’s not gonna work
Yes, that will not work. The Supervisor positions should be completely VOLUNTARY.
Well said ? bravo.
I personally don’t buy that our votes ACTUALLY count. I JUST DON’T. THAT’S ME. My opinion, mine alone.
(Not to offend)
More transparency: let’s see their benny package that they have created for themselves. Even if they were run out of office, I’m sure they could waltz away with a comfortable sum that most of us can only dream of. It would be one thing if the people chose these Public Servants, the people set the wages and packages for the Public Servants but no, its become an oligarchy. It stinks of bureaucratic corruption.
Games, mental tactics. Bullying. Hurry up and look busy. What of substance have any of them done while on the board? Oh yeah thats right…patting themselves onnthe back, driving finances in to the ground. Supporting bullying of the public and staff. Allowing county management to self praise and parade the podium to defend dismal actions on the county’s time which is AGAINST policy. But hey who follows county policy anymore dont worry we will write new policies to suit us PERFECT!!! ! Normalizing judmental, narrow minded decisions. Not using or considering due diligence before significant actions. As businesses close, storefronts sit vacant and we sit #1 in OD deaths in the state, your public pleads for acknowledgement and action. The action…Giving themselves a raise??? Voting to approve their own raise??? For 99.99% of county employees that is not an option. They get 5 steps. Maybe a dollar increase per step. No more after 5 steps unless a COLA is given. Weird preformance reviews often 6 months or more late. Step ups must be approved on multilpe desks. Not a button push and self appoval. Based on the standad performance review they are all preforming well below standard. WAIT, WAIT…The lack of function has become standard job preformance for the Mendocino County Board members and management teams, ok got it! Smile and wave boys, smile and wave nothing to see here. Lets have a party! Oh thats against policy. Oh never mind we have asses to kiss and cake to eat.100% DISGUSTING.
Beautiful mamma ?
Vote them Out !!!
Awwwww how cute this one still believes in democracy ?
They had a choice in this vote.
Shouldn’t this be under crime?
One thing about The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors is that they make Humboldt Supervisors look like Geniuses. At least the Medo Supes were wise enough to give the Veterans their meeting hall back without destroying it. They even fixed the hall up for them. It is amazing what a little simple maintenance will do for a building.
I know, I know… The lack of maintenance on the Garberville Vets Hall was the fault of a previous administration, but, isn’t that always the excuse for everything that is a total screw-up?
At least Eureka has a beautiful gold plated Vets Hall.
Ernie said:
“At least the Medo Supes were wise enough to give the Veterans their meeting hall back without destroying it. They even fixed the hall up for them.“
Not exactly.
The Mendo Supes kicked the Veteran’s Service Office out of a house they were in to give it to Air Quality.
They only reversed themselves after a big stink was raised but it showed a total lack of respect for the Veterans.
It makes me weep in frustration every time I pass our Veteran’s hall location & see that sign…
The actual Veterans Memorial Building that sits on Observatory street that is controlled by the county is in dismal repair. The bathrooms are broken the plumbing is destroyed can’t rent it out for any use. When it was an issue and the veterans moved out of the first building they considered moving into the Veterans Memorial Building. They could not the building required so much maintenance and work and is not able to be used that no one was allowed access that is a significant issue no one has even really talked about that the last event they had was a retirement party for a higher up staff member quite some time ago but I think the bathrooms became a significant issue and they haven’t used that building really ever since.
Mendo Momma wrote:
“The actual Veterans Memorial Building that sits on Observatory street….”
The building on Observatory is NOT the Vets Memorial Building – it was and is the Veteran’s Service Office –
I say was because the Mendo Supes kicked them out to make room for Air Quality – but had to reverse course and let the Vet’s Service Office move back in after word got out.
There was never a plan to move the Service Office into the Veteran’s Memorial Building – not because it’s unusable bit because it’s being used by the Veteran’s groups – it’s also not configured for office space.
Where are you getting so much false info?
Seminary Street by City of Ukiah. Hope that smooths your feathers. It would make common good sense to double utilize the Veterans building on Seminary as a service office for events, meetings and make it the hub for Veteran’s Services. But no the county is not able to maintain their buildings very well. Many of their buildings they maintain and run services out of are in dismal repair leaking roofs, failing plumbing, mold issues etc. I get my information by having my eyes open and my ears working. Many of these deficiencies are plain to see with the naked eye to the common man and people, not requiring any special access. Look at the beautiful library building in Willits with the plastic on the roof. Look at the beautiful Whitmore lot of vacant ground that had to be destroyed because of the dismal repairs that were needed and the expenditures could not be covered. What a waste of money and services. The non working cameras at the courthouse. The falling apart buildings used for transitional housing. Staff who only on a rare occasion leave their oiffice pulling well over 6 figures while the line staff live in cars and are demoralized daily. Nothing to see say we at the top, all perfect and shiny here.
Is Mendo County poorly run on almost every level? No argument there.
But your comments about the Veteran’s Memorial Building and the Veteran’s Service Office are almost totally wrong.
And combining both under one roof would degrade the services and functionality of each – that’s a total non-starter if you’re familiar with the buildings and their functions.
Consider if we accept the same ol’ , same ol’ we get more of the same ol’. Its okay to think outside the box. Evolve processes and connections in a positive forward way, improving overall outcomes. Tight definitions that are limiting to services and options might keep entitites safe from litigation or liability but truly do little else.
That’s a nice word salad – but if it’s meant as a response to my comment – that combining Veteran’s Services with the Vets Hall would degrade the services and functionality of each – then it shows you don’t understand how services are provided or how the buildings are used.
Military family here runs Generations deep. It comes down to this.. we have the tendency to do the same things over and over even if they don’t necessarily work well. County staff and CEOs office love to hire efficiency experts for consolidations. Outside agencies to tell them what to do that look at maps, schematics and building plans without ever setting foot in them or on county soil.. That was part of the move in the first place to the Dora Street Building. The Beautiful historical building on Seminary could definitely support both agencies if a little bit of love was given to it. Consider the collaboration between the two entities to embrace camaraderie and commonality. To our veterans…thank you for your service there’s no greater sacrifice.
You’re barking up the wrong tree.
The functions of the Service Office and the Hall are completely different.
And it’s not possible to move the Service Office into the Hall without taking away an equal amount of space that’s used for the Veteran’s and the community for their meetings and events.
If you want to consolidate, your choices are to build a new building for the Services Office or displace the Veteran’s – neither of which makes sense.
They should be able to pass an audit before entitling themselves to a pay raise.
100% until the audits on state level are done all the books, approvals and raises should be FROZEN!!! Rob the piggy bank before its empty great tactic BOS!
The only reason our county is so decrepit and filled with lawlessness is because our county leaders are spending all the tax money on filling their bank accounts and buying Mercedes and BMW vehicles.
You forgot Teslas and 2nd homes!!!
Nothing like screwing over the counties! Trying to tell everyone how broke the county is and then voting themselves a pay raise. How stupid and sick can you be!!
I would fire all of them, but I live in Lake County and Sutter County, so it’s just a suggestion… I worked in Ft Bragg and Willits, and neither are places I would want to go again…
Good luck, and find the money that was obviously stolen by these clowns by following the gold coins…
This ought to be illegal
I always thought the best way for elected officials to be able to give a raise to their position was that they can vote for it, but not get it. In other words the next person elected to their position gets the raise and not the one who voted for it. This would seem to be the fairest way to do it, especially if the reason is to “..pay increase is intended to attract more residents to public office..”.
Was thinking of the same thing. A wage increase or at least a COLA adjustment on whomever is next to hold that position. And performance reviews. If they’re going to vote themselves raises, then show us what you did to earn it. Everyone else with a job has to justify their continued employment.
Time to also vote out Humboldt County’s supervisors too! They don’t represent anyone but themselves.
The median income in Mendocino county is $32,446..
I’ve met the Supervisor from the coast and he is a strange dude. I couldn’t believe he was actually an elected official. He had an opinion on everything and I think he thought he was the smartest person in the room. But what I saw was someone who had never actually worked, unkempt hair and seemed to be holding onto a reputation he had in his 20’s when he got lucky or inherited some money. Maybe choose some better people when his seat is up again?
They have a lot of “strange” people in high places within the County offices. Many of the management teams are deemed odd people, have problems communicating and connecting with others. But it’s okay they’re a warm body and the space is filled so we will not question competency nor action. Some glossy pictures and a smartly written AI high school style introduction the smoke and mirrors are set. Many do not bother to pull back the curtain before they vote or endorse what is being pablum fed to the masses. A TRULY TRAGIC ATMOSPHERE FOR ALL BELOW THEM.
Who are you referring to? Ted or Dan? You could be describing either one.
“2nd District Supervisor Glenn McGourty defended the salary hike, addressing the criticism from some community members. “There is a group of people who no matter what we do or what we say are not going to like this,”
Well no shit, Sherlock. That group’s numbers seem to be considerable. Perhaps you ought to listen rather than shut them down.
And….
“Haschak argued that delaying salary increases could unfairly impact new supervisors and criticized the notion that funds could be redirected to other county needs, saying, “It’s not like if we don’t give the supervisors salary increases, we’re going to be able to repair the buildings or provide the health care benefits.”
1st District Supervisor Mo Mulheren later defended her vote on social media, describing the it as “one of the most awkward” experiences of being an elected official. She argued that the pay increase is intended to attract more residents to public office”
A common thing there; getting new people, aka residents becoming part of a “new” supervisory group. You two do know what that means, right? You’re out of a job. Don’t use that excuse to bring in new blood while simultaneously entrenching yourselves under the veil of a pay raise.
Mo her comment is very concerning. She has had struggles in her own life and been close to homelessness and all kinds of things. How quickly she forgot. Money and “memory” problems go hand and hand it seems!
Plum gig if you can get it.
Like the monkey said when he peed into the cash register, “This is gonna run into money“.
I actually think that they deserve the raise, maybe not for what they’ve done in their position, but because public office needs to be a well paid position, to attract candidates.
these folks aren’t perfect, but that’s not my point.
the cost of living is very high.
most of us probably would prefer to be making over 100k in order to live our best lives financially.
people in public office get shit on constantly by the generally incompetent general public.
if I was in charge I’d give myself a raise to.
i’m never late and I do work that needs to be done in my community.
I remember the weed boom.
men doing nothing but hanging around the ranch paying people to grow weed for them could make way more money and have their pick of midwestern and east coast trimmer women to boot,
but it’s the board of supervisors who are the scammers, got it.?
all working people deserve pay raises even if that’s not how our economy works. and inflation needs to be imprisoned so that we can afford to live again.
I can find a lot about the American public that is just as easy to ridicule as it is to criticize those in public office.
all wages need to go up, all costs need to go down.
regarding this pay raise, yeah it doesn’t look good to the public, but public outrage is a little off the mark considering what some could call a paltry populace.
Meanwhile many county staff make well under 40 k a year for full time work and dedication. The Board of Supervisors position is an elected position. People choose to run to be in office. There is no attracting the right candidate people file to run. They’re well aware of the compensation packages and what’s going on there’s always multiple people in the supervisor’s race. People like to have easy 3/4 time positions that you don’t have to really do a lot but shake your finger and Nod your head. Look like you’re reading some papers push the button. People like power over the powerless. Very attractive to many.
Please explain how you’re going to simultaneously increase all wages and reduce all costs.
War, kind Sir.
i understand that economies produce limited wealth, and that even the right wings favorite economy capitalism demands a peasant class always and forever.
why so many immigrants in America and Europe?
The Western Capitalist system demands them!
economic cannon fodder, to compete against our own forgotten citizenry.
Still, the gripe with politicians pay is somewhat predictable and perhaps our economy will never be able to reconcile its ineptitudes, but it’s not unusual to want more for less, even if it’s only attainable through war
Oh come on! War does NOT reduce costs! The budget goes out the window when war starts. Your understanding of immigrant dynamics is also flawed.
taxes … this is California after all.
These folks should be forced to leave office and there should be a new election by the citizens to fill their spots. If they have already taken money, the ones that did should be forced to pay it all back at this time. Nothing worse than a crook in office!
“There is a group of people who no matter what we do or what we say are not going to like this,”
Well Mr. McGortry I suggest you see how people respond when you suggest CUTTING YOUR SALARY. I bet you $100 everyone in the room would applaud.
Makes me wonder and consider which group of people is larger the one saying this is ridiculous or the ones agreeing to the raise??? You have to give some levity to the numbers Mr McGourty. Instead of ignoring everybody and just doing whatever BOS want, it would have been really great to pay attention to the constituents that you represent, instead of talking down to them like they know nothing of government Nothing of common sense it’s a pretty sad situation to watch. Forcing people to support what is grossly wrong in the name of public apperances and flat out lies…hmmm. Oh…they call that a bully.
2nd District Supervisor Glenn McGourty defended the salary hike, addressing the criticism from some community members. “There is a group of people who no matter what we do or what we say are not going to like this,” he said.
If he offered to take a pay cut he would be popular, eh?
John Chiv recently wrote an article that addressed a similar issue in Humboldt our Current AC Dillingham who was appointed in 2023 is receiving both her pension and a salary. Because she was appointed by the Supes
“Were you aware that Cheryl Dillingham, Auditor Controller is receiving an annual pension from CALPers in the amount of $130,009 AND a salary from County of Humboldt of $160,850 for 2023?
You can verify on Transparent California – it includes pensions.
Retired annuitants cannot work more than 960 hrs per year so Dillingham must be working part-time which would equal $167 per hour.
She isn’t the only person doing this in the county either. Which begs the question why are we double paying people when we have hiring freezes?
It also means tax players paid Paz Dominguez 2023 salary, legal fees, and a
100,000 settlement.
Then paid Dillingham 130,000 and a salary of $160,000 for 2023
So in total one county position cost is over $400,000 dollars
Yep. Double dipping. One should not be allowed to collect retirement from and still work for government. At least not in the same state.
Also we still do not have reconciliation of expenses from 2016-2019 which are the years our county received over 50 million in cannabis taxes. Did it all go to Cal pers? What’s going on why hasn’t the current AC finished them? These are the very same reconciliation records that Rex Bohn accused Paz Dominguez of botching? Why aren’t they done where did the 50 million go? #recalldillingham
https://johnchiv.blogspot.com/2024/07/reader-asks-valid-salary-calpers-and.html
This is democracy at it’s finest. OBVIOUSLY they gonna vote that there salaries increase!
Vote themselves a pay raise. OF COURSE THEY DID. DUH. lol Why does the public surprised by this???? Lol
Politicians always give themselves a raise and more benefits.