Update: Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao gets minimum proposed raise after pushback
OAKLAND -- Mayor Sheng Thao of Oakland is getting a raise, but it is nowhere near as much as she could have gotten before the amount was question by the NAACP and members of the community.
The mayor currently makes about $203,000 a year. The city charter requires that amount to be reviewed by the Oakland City Council every other year and gave a range for the salary from between $216,000 and $277,000.
Despite Oakland facing the largest budget deficit in its history, last week members of the City Council's finance and management committee endorsed boosting Thao's pay by around $75,000 annually.
The council voted Tuesday night to give Thao a raise for the minimum amount, which translates to a 6.5 percent increase over 10 years.
The Oakland City Council received plenty of input after it became public that Thao could be getting up to $75,000 pay increase.
The Oakland chapter of the NAACP was vocal in its opposition to the raise.
"There's nothing wrong with getting a boost. But getting something that...what has she done? We don't have a chief of police. We don't have now a fire chief. We don't have any of that," said Oakland NAACP President Cynthia Adams.
Many residents also voiced concerns about the amount, reflecting the growing dissatisfaction in the community with the current state of the city.
"I've never seen Oakland this bad in my life," said Olson, the owner of Good Neighbor, a store on Piedmont Avenue.
Her business has been broken into twice since 2021. Olson is taking matters into her own hands by installing a gate to protect her business.
Olson said she was strongly opposed to the idea of giving Thao a $75,000 raise before she has proven herself with results.
"I don't think she has an easy job, but I have to say, I don't see her. She's new in office. It would seem to me that you would want to prove yourself, that you would want to invest without compensation, and then the fruits of your labor manifest and people see their lives getting better, be rewarded for that," explained Olson.
Olson's perspective is echoed by Philipa Roberts, another business owner on Piedmont Avenue since 2006. Roberts believes the city should prioritize addressing the existing problems instead of adding more expenses.
"Getting more support for the police, community resources out on the street, more help in keeping people safe … We have such a great community, like a great street. I want everyone to come down and shop and go to the restaurants, but if they're nervous, any money should go into keeping Oakland safe," said Roberts.
City Councilmember Janani Ramachandran shared the residents' concerns, emphasizing the need to allocate limited funds toward essential constituent services rather than increasing one person's salary.
"Right now, it's not the right time to take away our limited fund dollars that could go into providing basic constituent services into one person's salary," said Ramachandran.
Ramachandran suggests supporting the minimum mandated salary for the mayor, which would involve an increase of approximately $15,000. Thao has already expressed her acceptance of this approach.
In a statement, the mayor stated, "I urge the City Council to set the Mayor's salary at the lowest amount legally required by the City Charter. As a leader, I know this is in the best interest of the City's fiscal health, and it is also the right thing to do."
And it's definitely what residents like Dana and Philippa want.
"This just isn't the right time. It's not to say that what she's doing isn't important work. Obviously, she's the elected Mayor of our City, but I think she needs to show the work before she starts taking compensation," said Olson.
