Two members of the City Council have decided they want to reconsider the council’s decision Monday to give itself a 24 percent pay raise. A joint statement from City Councilman Ben Hueso and Council President Scott Peters says if the mayor doesn’t veto the raise, the two city councilmen want to reconsider it anyway.
Hueso and Peters, who both voted for the raise on Monday, said that it is clear Mayor Jerry Sanders does not support raises for non-public safety employees, so they want to rethink their vote. Sanders threatened to veto the raise after the council’s approval Monday and criticism has been heaped upon the council since then.
Citing the release of the mayor’s budget the day after the council vote, the statement reads:
It is clear that the Mayor does not support raises for non-public safety employees this year. Given the depth of the City’s financial issues, it has become apparent that is not in our community’s best interest to discuss salary increases for the Mayor and Council at this time.
As a result of this budget news, we have reached the conclusion that if Mayor Jerry Sanders does not veto the proposed salary increase, we will move for a reconsideration of this matter, as we no longer support a raise for the Mayor and Councilmembers.
However, the mayor has made it clear since entering office that he hasn’t supported giving raises to non-public safety personnel. And details of the mayor’s budget have been made public recently in media reports in The San Diego Union-Tribune and elsewhere that detailed expected layoffs and cuts in services.
Pam Hardy, Peters’ spokeswoman, said she did not know whether the council’s reconsideration of the raise includes reconsidering the council’s decision on Monday to rescind their $9,600 annual car allowance.