Front Page  »  

SLO council considering another raise for city attorney

May 6, 2013
Christine Dietrick

Christine Dietrick

The San Luis Obispo City Council will decide Tuesday whether to grant City Attorney Christine Dietrick a 4.5 percent raise in pay based on performance while line level employees salaries are either frozen or facing cuts.

On March 27, the city council conducted a performance evaluation of Dietrick and, with the help of a consultant, determined that Dietrick is deserving of raise in base salary from $160,446 to $168,000. The council still must approve the increase in pay during open session.

A year ago, Dietrick also received a pay raise. Her salary increased 3.5 percent in April 2012.

As Dietrick’s salary has increased, the pay for line level employees has frozen. General city employees will receive no salary increases through 2014, and firefighters will receive no salary increases through 2015. Police officers took a 2 percent reduction in pay in January and will take another 2 percent pay cut in July 2014.

Dietrick’s proposed raise follows a year in which the city lost a lawsuit over its ticketing of the homeless and had to pay the winning attorneys $133,800 to settle the case.

Prior to suing, attorney Stew Jenkins asked the council to suspend its ordinance against sleeping in vehicles due to legal issues with its wording. The next day Dietrick said during a council meeting that the city expected to defeat any challenges to the ordinance.

After the city lost the suit and paid the settlement, the California Joint Powers Insurance Authority, which provides legal liability insurance, raised the city’s annual rate by $74,000. CJPIA also notified the council in February that it owes a retroactive payment of more than $3.1 million due to a change in how the agency calculates the city’s yearly contribution to the insurance fund.

 


Loading...
Subjects:                 
Related:


21 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

No! Is there something about the word no that you don’t understand? It’s spelled n o.


Blessings


0

I see this as one of two things: 1) a traditional fleecing of the public treasury, or 2) a false argument to make the city administrators look good when they “ax” the proposal (if it gets axed, we’ll know which this is).


I’m so tired of false leaders. Anyone can run out and support disabled, children, animals, etc. That is not leadership, that is pandering to the easiest common denominator. As a society, we seem to get fed this crap as leadership “values” time and time again. Oh, it’s so brave and show great leadership for so-and-so to support X… yeah, sure it is. Just because it makes you feel comfortable in your chosen world view does not mean that person is a leader. Or deserving of more confiscated wealth.


If they don’t steal your money directly, they steal it’s value. In the end, you have been victimized by the government, pure and simple… just so they can give it to themselves.


0

This is disgraceful. Nobody else in town is getting pay raises. Why the useless city attorney, of all people?


This is part and parcel of the “we’re all one team” mentality the council has vis-a-vis top city staff. Staff serve the 1% and the Chamber, not the residents. If she’s to get a raise, why not have the Chamber pay for it, since she’s always doing their dirty work while scr–ing the residents?


Also of note: the press left the impression some time back that she gave up her lavish car allowance — “top city staff take cuts and give up perks” type of headline. She didn’t. It’s still being paid to her. Katie Lichtig concealed that fact from the press.


0

So she costs our city more due to legal arrogance and she gets a raise?


City of SLO WTF?


0

Welcome to government.


0

Municipalities always cry poverty to the public when the whole time they planned on treating their cronies as if

the coffers were full.


0

Wow, she must really have something on somebody!


0

No, she is just buddies with Katie! she is getting ready to put that 1/2 cent sales tax proposal back out to the vote of the people as it will expire in 2014 and she will need to do some overtime. Yep, SLO and all their fancy stores need to keep that 1/2 sales tax increase on the books, all those City employees that have been salary frozen will want their raises starting in 2014 when the next increase will be approved. Wasn’t it approved for infrastructure and then the police got that big beautiful fat raise – highest paid PD in California, Only in happy town where they love to harass the homeless since they don’t have any major crimes.


0

What do all these people have in common? No, this is not a Kevin Bacon joke, but a serious issue in local government.

Al Moriarty – Grover Beach man arrested for Fraud, SEC Fraud


Scott Peterson Murderer – Cal Poly Graduate, San Luis Obispo Business Owner and murderer


Robert Rizzo, Former City Manager of the City of Bell, on trial for hundreds of acts of fraud


Robert Rizzo City of Bell, City Manager


Heidi Fleiss, Hollywood madam who gave more than sound advice


Governor Rod Blagojevich, convicted governor of Illinois

Boss Tweed, another corrupt politician from history

Blanton, Tennessee House of Representatives convicted felon

Budd Dwyer House of Representatives and convicted felon,

Republican Spiro Agnew served as Vice President under President Richard Nixon and Watergate co-conspirator

Kelly Gearhart: Fraud, arson and betrayal

Heritage Lending principals Candy Wells and her husband Ronald Wells Paso Robles lenders arrested on multiple fraud charges


Most are all smiles. They all made lots of money lying, deceiving and defrauding the public amongst other horrific acts. Many are the local who’s who of local politics – the movers and shakers of San Luis Obispo and look at where they are now. I think there is room for a few more on this list.

– Christine Dietrick


0
1 2