On February 25, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors will vote on raising their own salaries 48.8%, from $115,000 to $171,000 annually - a $56,000 increase.
"I mean, that just seems a little high," said Lompoc resident Steven Rodriguez.
"I’m always in favor of people making more money, but at the cost to the taxpayer, that could be contentious, but I’m not opposed to it," said Peter Carlson from Santa Barbara.
Executive chef Michael Huntelmann, who makes somewhere between those two amounts, tells me he’s in favor of the raise.
"I mean, taxes are gonna take one-third out anyways," he said.
Others do not agree.
"The 48% pay raise all in one fell swoop is obscene. They get four weeks off in the summer, two weeks off at Christmas, a week off at Thanksgiving, and they don't work the fourth Tuesday of the month. It is a part-time job," said Andy Caldwell, executive director of COLAB Santa Barbara County.
Supervisor Roy Lee says that’s just not true. Lee says he spends around 60 hours a week taking care of county business.
"This is not a part-time job. This is a full-time commitment, full-time job. We don't clock out. We are 24-7," Supervisor Lee said.
Supervisor Joan Hartmann agrees with Lee.
Hartman said in a statement to KSBY, “I can unequivocally state, the work of the Board of Supervisors is not part-time.”
Supervisor Laura Capps and Steve Lavagnino were both unavailable for interviews.
So, why such a steep increase now? A county staff report shows Santa Barbara County supervisor pay, on average, is nearly 33 percent lower than supervisors in other California counties, roughly the same size.
"I love what I do. Don't, don't mistake that, but it's hard," Supervisor Lee said.
This year, all elected department heads, the sheriff, district attorney, auditor-controller, treasurer, and assessor in Santa Barbara County are up for salary increases, ranging from 5.7% for auditor-controller to just under 15% for the sheriff.
If approved, the raises will go into effect in May.
