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(BCN) — A new law authored by state Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, that will take effect on Jan. 1 will increase pay caps for city councilmembers around the state in an effort to increase diversity among local lawmakers.
Senate Bill 329, known as the Council Pay Caps bill, marks the first time that city council pay limits have changed since 1984. Inflation has gone up by more than 300% since then, according to Dodd’s office.
The law is one of 14 new laws authored by Dodd that will take effect sometime in 2024.
“No one runs for city council to get rich. But the low levels of pay make it much harder to balance careers and personal obligations with the calling to serve their community,” Dodd said in a statement when the bill was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom this summer.
“It’s especially hard for working people and those from diverse or disadvantaged backgrounds. By allowing councils to adjust their maximum pay to reflect inflation, my bill will remove barriers to achieving more equitable representation in local government,” Dodd said.
The previous state law ties the maximum salary allowed to be enacted by council vote to the city’s population. Most cities in California have fewer than 35,000 people, capping the pay for councilmembers in such cities at $300 per month.
Dodd said that has led to less economic diversity among those seeking to run for public office, and has also led to some elected city councilmembers having to resign before their term ended in order to keep their full-time jobs.
The new pay schedule allows local councils to vote to approve a salary of up to $950 monthly for cities with 35,000 people or less. There are six pay rates in total, depending on population size, with the highest set at $3,200 per month for city councils serving city populations of more than 250,000 people.
The bill was supported by the NAACP, the League of California Cities, and some Bay Area city lawmakers, including Rohnert Park Mayor Samantha Rodriguez.
“This is an incredible step toward equitability,” Rodriguez said. “Many councilmembers get paid minimally, if at all. This can provide opportunity for working people who have had to balance jobs, childcare and school with public service.”
Some of the other laws authored by Dodd that will take effect in the new year include SB 3, which provides protections for customers whose water services are threatened with shutoff, SB 808, increasing tracking of sexual assault incidents at California State University campuses, and SB 387, which allows the state to lease public property to broadband providers to incentivize more internet connectivity in the state.
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