Santa Barbara County supervisors seeking 48.8% raise in pay

February 12, 2025

By KAREN VELIE

The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Tuesday to raise their own salaries by 48.8%.

The proposed raise, which was listed on the consent agenda, will increase the supervisors’ pay from $115,000 to $171,000 per year. The board scheduled a hearing for Feb. 25 to vote on the proposed ordinance.

In support of the raises, the proposed ordinance changes the methodology for setting Board of Supervisors’ salaries to 70% of the salary of a California Superior Court Judge, which is presently set at $244,727.

Known as a public service position, many supervisors continue to work other jobs. For example, Supervisor Roy Lee owns and operates a restaurant in Carpinteria. In 2025, the Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors is scheduled to hold 36 board meetings.

Even though Santa Barbara County generally compares it salaries to counties with between 250,000 to 500,000 residents, in this case staff compared supervisor salaries to eight of the largest counties in California, said Andy Caldwell, the executive director of COLAB Santa Barbara County, during public comment.

“A 48% raise, which comes out to about $56,000 in one fell swoop, is just obscene,” Caldwell said.