‘Hero pay’ bonuses will go to public employees

Making use of an infusion of federal money aimed at helping government agencies recover from the devastating economic effects of the pandemic, Santa Clara County plans to dole out a total of $76 million in “hero pay” bonuses to all its employees.

On Oct. 5, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors approved distributing its American Rescue Plan Act funds to approximately 22,000 employees as a token of appreciation for their work during the pandemic. Full-time employees will get $2,500, while part-time employees will receive a pro-rated version of that amount. In addition, In-home Support Services workers, who provide help to adults over 65 years old, will get $500.

“I support the pandemic hazard pay for our workforce,” said District 4 Supervisor Susan Ellenberg. “And the reason our county is leading with some of the lowest transmission in the U.S. is a combination of the leadership of our public health officer, the willingness of our residents to adopt the health orders and the tireless and extraordinary efforts of our county workforce.”

Since the pandemic began, cities across the country have instituted “hero pay” for front-line workers who are at a higher risk of being exposed to the virus. Santa Clara County passed a law in February that temporarily required large grocery stores in unincorporated parts of the county to pay employees an extra $5 an hour. Berkeley and Richmond passed similar laws soon after. But a countywide bonus for employees in response to the pandemic is new for government agencies. San Diego is the only other large county in the state so far to offer “hero pay.” Its total payout at $36 million is less than half of what Santa Clara County has promised.

County Executive Jeffrey V. Smith and the five supervisors, however, will not get a check after the supervisors passed a motion to exclude themselves. Smith, whose office is in charge of distributing the funds, had originally excluded himself from receiving a check and added that it would be possible for other employees to opt out.

Every supervisor approved the distribution of funds except for District 3 Supervisor Otto Lee, who abstained and referred to the bonus as “almost overly generous.” Lee was also the first to raise concerns about the supervisors possibly receiving checks.

The money will be distributed equally to all county employees, regardless of their role. Of the roughly 22,000 employees in the county, Smith said about 3,000 are “extra help workers” whose hours vary from as little as five hours a week to up to 40. How much of a bonus they will receive still needs to be sorted out with their union.

“We felt strongly that everyone in the county employed actually participated vigorously to the greatest extent possible in providing a response to the pandemic,” Smith said during the Oct. 5 meeting. “And therefore, we didn’t feel administratively that we could pick a group or a particular job or a particular activity that was more deserving of a larger amount of money than any other (person).”

The decision to offer a flat rate bonus was challenged by Alicia Anderson, a social worker with the county’s Behavioral Health Services division, who submitted a letter to the supervisors stating there is a disparity in the work that county employees have each done over the course of the pandemic.

“Certainly we recognize that all County employees played a role in maintaining safety net services to the residents of Santa Clara County throughout 2020 and 2021, but there is a substantial difference between folks who were able to do so within their chosen job codes, working safely and remotely from home (or even more so on paid administrative leave), and those who were involuntarily directed to report to a motel room and work out of there for 6, 12, or even 18 months for their $25 an hour wage,” Anderson wrote in a letter to the supervisors. Anderson did not respond to a request for comment.

The county has received $187.2 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds so far. It will get a second injection of federal money next year, bringing the total amount to $374.5 million by May 2022. The funds are part of a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package signed by President Joe Biden in March.