From: Jill Klausen
To: CityClerk; Nils Nehrenheim; Todd Loewenstein; Paige Kaluderovic; Zein Obagi; Scott Behrendt; James Light Subject: Item H20 on the 9/3/2024 Council Agenda
Date: Tuesday, September 3, 2024 3:12:24 PM
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UPDATING THE SALARY AND BENEFITS OF THE CITY ATTORNEY FOR
INTRODUCTION AND FIRST READING
No. That is an obscene ask of us. Our city attorney rakes in more than half a million dollars a year when all of his compensation is added up. That's utterly ridiculous and completely out of line with every other elected city attorney in the state of California. Only ONE elected city attorney in the entire state has a higher compensation than ours. No.
Jill Klausen
30-year resident of Redondo Beach
top earners' salary of $170,246 in the government sector. This discrepancy suggests that the proposed salary is well above the typical range for similar positions within the government.
2. Scope of Responsibilities:
The city attorney's role might have unique responsibilities or require specialized expertise that justifies a higher salary. For instance, if the city attorney is managing high-stakes litigation, complex legal matters, or has significant administrative responsibilities, these factors could warrant a higher pay scale based on current city litigations. However a higher scale should not be entered lightly as you must understand the scope of current litigation and experience with similar cases on-going.
3. Market Comparisons:
The market was compared with the proposed salary with city attorneys in other major cities. Attorneys in the private sector living areas like Los Angeles often command higher salaries as they are not tied to the Government requirements and budget and cannot be considered in the evaluation. Working outside the City/Government and inside are two different scenarios which are not equal when evaluating pay.
4. Recruitment and Retention:
Offering a higher salary can be a strategy to attract and retain top legal talent.
If the city requires a highly experienced attorney with a stellar track record, the higher salary might be necessary to remain competitive in the job market.
The salary must remain within the fair and reasonable range noted above, with consideration of the top tier.
Conclusion
While the proposed salary range of $280K to $305K for a city attorney is notably higher than the average and even top government attorney salaries in Los Angeles, several factors must justify this difference. These include the specific responsibilities of the role, market comparisons, any cost of living adjustments from their current role and location, and the need to attract and retain top talent. It would be prudent to conduct a comprehensive market analysis and consider the unique aspects of the position before finalizing the pay range.
I recommend a price and cost analysis would be invaluable in further scrutinizing these factors to ensure the salary is both fair and reasonable within the Government sector. The amount of $280K to $305K is excessive even with adjustments referenced above and I suggest going back to the negotiation table to find a salary that is fair and reasonable.
Regards,
Lois Pavlica
Redondo Beach, CA 90278