Front Page  »  

San Luis Obispo County Counsel seeks four-year contract, nearly $2 million

September 6, 2024

San Luis Obispo County Counsel Rita Neal

By KAREN VELIE

The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors is slated on Tuesday to approve a new four-year contract with County Counsel Rita Neal at a cost of nearly $2 million, according to the consent agenda.

If approved by the board, Neal’s new contact will run from Sept. 30, 2024 through Sept. 29, 2028. The staff report, however, lists the ending date as Sept. 29, 2029, which would be a five year extension.

As head of the County Counsel’s Office, Neal oversees a staff equivalent to 20.5 full-time employees. The office provides legal advice to the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors and 26 county departments.

First appointed county counsel in 2012, in 2013 Neal received $258,541 in salary and benefits, a number that nearly doubled in 10 years amid large pay increases.

In 2020, the SLO County Board of Supervisors voted to give Neal a 20% pay hike that provided her a compensation package of $374,579 a year. Then in 2022, the board gave Neal a 15.56% increase in pay. Neal is currently receiving $479,006 in salary and benefits.

Because we believe the public needs the facts, the truth, CalCoastNews has not put up a paywall because it limits readership. However, we are seeking qualification as a paper of record, which will allow us to publish public notices, but it requires 5,000 paid subscribers.

Your subscription will help us to continue investigating and reporting the news.

Support CalCoastNews, subscribe today, click here.

 


Loading...
Subjects:         
Related:


24 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

I also seek a 4 year, $2 million taxpayer fleecing package comparable to the President of the United States. Yes, the city can find equally qualified applicants at half the cost, but I cultivate power in teams among those who play a malignant system. It’s not the chess piece, its the players. Whom on the board of supervisors will be the loudest voices in the room for this particular local government welfare? Follow the neon lit path to the players.

The pork at the top of the SLO wine luncheon crowd stick together.

It works splendidly.


0

Corruption? What corruption? Where?

You can’t be refering to the county that convicted the owner of a pot dispensary of bribing… No One? Twas pure serendipity when a recently appointed judge stepped down to spend time with family and the mayor retired to help save potato bugs.


1

We are responsible for the corruption in this Country. Because we let it happen. It’s easy to make comments here rather than organize

and do something about it.


6

Rita has certainly solved the affordable housing problem, got to start somewhere. We should be commending her but from where she humbly sits, she is just doing her job.


-12

The job of County Counsel should be filled by competetive bidding and rewarded to the attorney having the highest qualifications.


17

What a f**king joke! Rita supervises 20 employees and they farm out the legal defense work to outside counsel in Los Angeles. Every member of the Board of Supervisors out to have their head examined if they go along with this.


32

Didn’t Neal break up the marriage of previous county CEO Jim Grant? I believe they’re still together. Such a soap opera in that building.


21

Your lazy Board of Supes looks at neighboring counties, see’s the salary being paid, licks their fingertips, wave fingers in the air and collectively say “viola” “you Rita Neal now make 480,000!”


37
1 2