Brea elected officials are expected to get paid $143 dollars more a month come 2025 as part of their compensation for serving on the city council for a total of $824 a month.
On Tuesday, city council members voted unanimously with little debate to boost their own pay and adjust their salaries for inflation in accordance with a new state law.
The expected raise is the first salary increase since 2005, according to a city staff report.
The pay increase comes after Gov. Gavin Newson signed a state law last year that allows a city council to adjust and increase their salaries based on population while accounting for inflation.
For example, council members in cities with a population of more than 250,000 can make up to $3,200 a month under the law. In cities with a population of 155,000-250,000, officials can make up to $2,550 a month.
According to the 2020 census, Brea has a population of around 47,000. The new state law allows for a maximum of $1,275 monthly for cities with a population between 35,000-50,000 residents.
The law states the increased salary aims to “ensure that they can continue to serve the public and support their families.”
Currently, Brea City Council members make about $680 a month and receive no benefits, according to the staff report.
On Tuesday, they opted to bump up the monthly income to $824 which staff says is close to the median amount for compensation of council members based on a survey that compared council salaries in 10 other cities including Orange, Irvine and Fullerton.
Out of the 10 cities in the survey, Newport Beach city council members had the highest salaries at $1,605 a month.
The raise, if finalized at a future meeting, would not go into effect until January 2025, following the November 2024 general election.
City Councilman Steven Vargas on Tuesday also called on his colleagues to explore making adjustments to the stipends for city planning commissioners.
Other Compensation
Beyond the council salaries, city council members also receive stipends from some of the regional boards they sit on.
Mayor Christine Marick sits on the county’s Waste Management commission. Commissioners receive $100 per meeting and $50 per committee meeting with a monthly compensation cap of $300.
After publication of the article, City Spokeswoman Liz Pharis sent an email to the Voice of OC stating that Marick never accepted the stipend for the county’s waste management commission.
Marick is also listed as chairing the OC Sanitation District Administration committee. Sanitation District Board members are compensated $300 per meeting, capped at $1,800 a month.
The mayor also sits on the OC Public Library Advisory board, whose members don’t receive compensation.
City Councilman Blair Stewart sits on the Wildlife Corridor Conservation Authority which pays $50 or less for attending meetings. No other compensation is included for serving in the role.
Stewart also sits on the California Cities Governance, Transparency and Labor Relations Committee, The National League of Cities Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and Hillside Open Space Education Coalition Steering Committee.
It’s unclear if he earns compensation for serving in those roles because those agencies don’t publicly list compensation.
Councilwoman Cecilia Hupp sits on Orange County’s Housing and Community Development commission and is compensated $50 per meeting at a monthly cap of $200.
Like Marick, Hupp is listed as a member of the OC Sanitation District, but instead as an alternate director.
She is also a board member of the county’s Mosquito and Vector Control District, in which members are not compensated but are entitled to $100 a month “for expenses incurred on official business.”
Hupp sits on five other committees as well.
Vargas voluntarily serves on the Orange County Veterans Advisory Council. He also sits on the League of California Cities Transportation, Communications & Public Works Policy Committee; it is unclear if he earns compensation for serving on the committee.
City Councilman Marty Simonoff represents Brea on the Southern California Association of Governments Regional Council – where he receives a $120 stipend for every SCAG meeting or event he attends.
The SCAG stipend caps at $720 a month for regional council members.
Clarification: This story has been updated to reflect that OC Mosquito and Vector Control Board Members are allowed to get $100 a month for business expenses.
Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC reporter and corps member with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @ElattarHosam.
Hugo Rios is a Voice of OC intern. Contact him at hugo.toni.rios@gmail.com or on Twitter @hugoriosss
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