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SLO City Council gives top two employees 9.24% pay raises

December 19, 2020

SLO City Manager Derek Johnson

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

Amid a pandemic-driven global economic crisis, and shortly following the passage of a sales tax hike, the San Luis Obispo City Council voted to give approximately $20,000 raises, as well as benefit increases, to each of the city’s top two executives.

On Dec. 8, the council approved 9.24 percent salary increases, along with added benefits, for City Manager Derek Johnson and City Attorney Christine Dietrick without any discussion. The raises were part of a consent agenda item that consisted of amending Johnson’s and Dietrick’s contracts.

However, the agenda did not mention raises, and the council did not discuss the matter prior to voting.

With the 9.24 percent increase, Johnson’s base salary will rise from $218,374 a year to $238,550 and Dietrick’s annual salary will increase from $206,622 to $225,706.

Though Johnson’s and Dietrick’s amended employment contracts show they received 9.24 percent raises, a city staff report states the council agreed to give them 5 percent salary increases.

In addition to the raises, the council also awarded Johnson a car allowance of $450 a month, or $5,400 a year, and Dietrick a car allowance of $250 a month, or $3,000 a year.

Likewise, both Johnson and Dietrick can now cash out up to three weeks of unused vacation time annually. Furthermore, Johnson received a one-time cash-out of 107 hours of accrued vacation time for his “commitment and leadership” and limited ability to have gone on vacation since 2018.

The council also voted to increase the city’s contribution to Johnson’s and Dietrick’s retirement plans.

Christine Dietrick

City official stated in a staff report the pay increases bring both Johnson’s and Dietrick’s total compensation to the “median of the market.” The city of SLO frequently compares employees’ pay to compensation given to workers for other cities and government agencies in order to justify salary increases.

For years, San Luis Obispo employees have topped the list of highest paid city workers in the county. Dietrick took the number one spot in 2019 with $376,602 in pay, benefits and pro-rated pension funds, while Johnson garnered $343,626, according to Transparent California.

Last month, San Luis Obispo voters approved an indefinite 1 percent sales tax increase, which was listed on the voting block as a funding source and not as an increase in sales tax.


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But no news coverage that Parks & Rec city staff have been told they have to use sick/vacay for a forced week off during Christmas (if they’re lucky to even have any on the books!) None on books? NO PAY FOR YOU!! ‘Scept who’s doing emergency repairs and maintenance that week? Who’s getting “on-call” pay? Those very folks who are told they aren’t on payroll for a week?


52

Well, that didn’t take long at all to throw away that 1% tax increase.


I’m curious if Mr Johnson and Mzzz Dietrick will join the street repair crews to fix Monterey St.?


HAHAHAHAhahahahaaa! Yeah, I know! Let’s give the city “Progressives” a hand, for wasting even more taxpayer money during this artificial depression.


75

Just the first of many, did the voters who voted for the sales tax increase actually think the money was going to go to deferred infrastructure maintenance or anything other than salaries, pensions and benefits?


80

Start the discussion…you bet I’ll start the discussion.

Adjusted for age and years to an old coot like myself, these over-paid turkeys have nothing on me, so it’s not jealousy, it’s just that these raises are excessive, undeserved, ill-timed, and just plain vomitus. HOW ever did this council get chaotic control of the purse strings of what was ONCE a great jewel of a coastal city? “Tell me where is sanity” (Alvin Lee, Ten Years After band lyric).


SLO voted the tax, and so as predicted on this site, the crazed fiscal policy advances….


70

Not a very good pr move.


55

Oh, but note the agenda didn’t mention salary increase. That was the pr move. Hope nobody’d notice what’s behind the curtain.


27

This is the reward the $30K a month city attorney gets for negotiating the dog shooting incident at 15 times the value of the dog. Johnson gets rewarded for mishandling the Chief’s forgotten gun incident among many other miscues. Good thing that sales tax hike passed to cover these rewards.


60

“Value of the dog?” Bubbs was priceless to his family.


31

Of course all dogs are priceless I have three, but in the legal world they are property.


14

Yeah but it’s still a pretty heartless statement. That couple deserved 10 times what they got, right out of Walsh’s pocket.


15

And there goes the 1% sales tax increase… check this out; https://transparentcalifornia.com/salaries/all/ no wonder they have a disjointed view of salaries!


39

Keep voting for those sales tax increases so we can keep paying these people unbelievable salaries for doing a mediocre job. Idiots.


67

So continues the cylindrical down Spiral of the City of SLO,

Two of worst Political hacks in the State,

Way over paid,

Great job Voter’s,

Instead of outright rejection of the Socialists,

You helped reintrench the Ruling class.

I would pity you,but you did it to yourselves,

Just one more Reason to spend my hard earned money in another place.


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