SLO County supervisors may give themselves a hefty raise. Here’s why that’s OK | Opinion

San Luis Obispo County supervisors may give themselves a series of substantial raises over the next 18 months that will boost their annual salary to $109,241, from the current $90,417 — an increase of nearly 21%.

An initial raise of $13,562 — the largest in a series of three — would take effect on April 16, followed by an additional $2,618 on June 25, 2023, and finally, another $2,644 on June 23, 2024, according to the proposal presented by the county’s Human Resources Department.

This action is overdue; supervisors last voted themselves a raise in May 2021, and prior to that, they went six years without one. During that time, their take-home pay decreased on account of rising pension costs.

Even so, there’s bound to be some opposition.

It almost always inspires a fair amount of knee-jerk grumbling whenever elected officials vote to raise their own salaries. We don’t expect it to be any different this time around, especially given the current climate of economic uncertainty.

But this is no outrage, and the board should not hesitate to approve the recommended changes when the matter comes to a vote on Feb. 7. Turning down a raise might appease the minority in the short term, but that kind of virtue-signaling only delays the inevitable.

If board members don’t personally need or want a raise, they have the option to decline it — but at the same time, they should recognize that the county needs to offer a decent enough wage to attract well-qualified candidates.

Given the high cost of living here, the current salary doesn’t cut it.

County supervisors now earn nearly 22% less than the median salary of their counterparts in comparable counties, according to a report from Human Resources.

On top of that, they are significantly underpaid compared to other SLO County elected officials and non-elected department heads, many of whom earn over $200,000 in salary and well over $300,000 in total compensation.

They also make less than many rank-and-file county employees, including planners, engineers, nurses and deputy sheriffs, and they earn just 5.4% more than the legislative assistants they directly supervise.

That may not seem like a big deal — after all, legislative assistants working behind the scenes are often the unsung heroes of their districts — but the county operates under the “best practice” assumption that supervisors and department heads should earn between 20% and 30% more than their top assistants.

By failing to offer a decent wage, the county puts public service out of reach for all but the wealthy and the reasonably well-off.

Is it any wonder, then, that we have such a lack of diversity on the Board of Supervisors?

It’s impossible to know how many potential candidates may have dismissed the idea of running for office because they couldn’t afford to give up higher-paying, full-time jobs they would no longer be able to keep if they were elected.

That group could include mayors, school board members, city council members and planning commissioners who are well-qualified to serve as supervisors but aren’t in a position to leave their day jobs.

It’s imperative to correct that now, when potential candidates are weighing whether to run in 2024.

San Luis Obispo County voters deserve to have a well-qualified and diverse pool of candidates on the ballot in 2024, and offering a living wage will help achieve that.

The Board of Supervisors should not let a cantankerous minority stop them from making that happen. They should recognize that their work is important, and whoever sits on the dais should be compensated accordingly.