San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
S.F. staffers get big raises, but some give them back
Pay raises for most of San Francisco’s municipal workforce just kicked in — they add about $2,340 a year to the annual base pay of an experienced Muni driver, about $3,633 more for a registered nurse, and a whopping $10,000 to $14,000 for the city’s top executives.
For Director of Health Dr. Grant Colfax, that 3% increase means a $13,968 raise to $479,580. But Colfax has donated his raise to the city’s COVID relief efforts, so his salary stays at $465,612.
The city administrator, along with directors of large departments, will see their salaries increase by an average of about
$10,000 — that will bring them to about $333,000 this year, the Controller’s Office reports. Many of the department deputy directors and midmanagers’ base pay will go up by $5,000, for an average pay of $165,000.
In all, 27,897 fulltime city employees — top to bottom — were given raises at an estimated total cost of $56.8 million.
“Anyone represented by the unions got raises, including management. Some department heads are represented, others have contracts,” said Jeff Cretan, spokesman for Mayor London Breed. And the unions negotiated the 3% raises, which don’t include benefits, overtime or other special pay perks.
Meanwhile, the city is facing a $653 million deficit over the next two years.
So given the financial crunch, some workers held off on fattening their paychecks.
Police and firefighters, from the chiefs down to the rank and file, and most of the mayor’s staff chose to defer their raises until July, in exchange for a larger bump later.
The mayor, who earns $350,535 a year, asked not to be given a raise.
Other citywide elected officials, whose pay is set by the Civil Service Commission, didn’t receive raises, and the 11 members of the Board of Supervisors opted to either decline their raises or donate them back to the city. All workers and managers have the option of voluntarily returning their raises as well. Individual givebacks, which as gifts to the city must be legally disclosed, are still coming in and will be available for the public to see in coming weeks, said Controller Ben Rosenfield, who has returned his increase to the city.
Gender call: State Democratic female lawmakers are calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to appoint a woman to replace outgoing Attorney General Xavier Becerra, if and when he’s confirmed as the next U.S. secretary of health and human services.
“Specifically, we urge you to consider Sen.
Anna Caballero, former Sen. Martha Escutia, Assemblywoman
Rebecca BauerKahan, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, Assemblywoman Eloise Reyes, and Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton,” Democratic members of the California Women’s Legislative Caucus said in a statement this month.
It’s the latest move in the domino game of Sacramento appointments prompted by the election of Joe Biden as president and U.S. Sen. and former California Attorney General Kamala Harris as vice president. Besides Biden appointing Becerra to the national post, Newsom appointed California Secretary of State
Alex Padilla to fill Harris’ Senate seat.
“California had two female senators, and we would have loved for that to continue, but we were thrilled — thrilled — (Assemblywoman) Dr. Shirley Weber was appointed secretary of state, ” said state Sen. and Caucus Vice Chair
Nancy Skinner.
The governor’s office declined to comment on the letter.
Now hiring: Between the COVID shutdown and the ongoing corruption investigations, there are a lot of “help wanted” signs at San Francisco City Hall.
The Public Utilities Commission, Public Works, Building Inspection and the City Administrator’s Office have all lost their leaders to ongoing investigations by the U.S. attorney and city attorney into corruption at City
Hall that started with the arrest of former Public Works Director
Mohammed Nuru on charges of wire fraud. The pandemic has slowed the search for a replacement for recently retired Department of Human Resources head
Micki Callahan and for a permanent head of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Services — former Director Jeff Kosinski stepped down but stayed on with the city to try to solve the growing problem of tent camps.
“The focus of the city has been COVID, and we have good, dedicated public servants who have stepped up to fill vacancies quickly,” said Mayor London Breed’s spokesman, Jeff Cretan.
Breed’s nomination of AssessorRecorder Carmen Chu as city administrator to replace
Naomi Kelly means the city also needs a new assessor. Kelly resigned just weeks after federal prosecutors implicated her husband, former Public Utilities Commission chief Harlan Kelly, in the corruption scandal.
Word is, Breed may announce Chu’s replacement as early as this week.
“If they can find someone half as good as Carmen, we will be in good hands,” Supervisor Aaron Peskin said.
Things are going a bit slower at the SFPUC, where Harlan Kelly’s federal corruption charges have made finding outside candidates a bit tough.
“I was told that one of the national executive search teams declined the contract because they thought it would be hard to find candidates, given all the things that happened,” commissioner and former City Controller Ed Harrington said. “Maybe that’s just as well. Because if somebody is unable to work with a certain level of discomfort, they may not fit in well in San Francisco, where you get hit from all sides.”
You can say that again.
San Francisco Chronicle columnist Phil Matier appears Sundays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KGOTV morning and evening news and can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call 4157778815, or email pmatier@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @philmatier