Politics & Government

Los Angeles City Council Highest Paid in Nation

Members of the Los Angeles city council earn an average of nearly $180,000 per year.

While an investigation released by the Los Angeles Times Tuesday shows that city council members in most California municipalities earn less than the state mandated level, members of the City of Angels' governing body continue to lead the nation in average annual salary.

The Times database of city council salaries can be searched here.

Los Angeles' 15 city council members rake in an average of nearly $180,000 per year, including benefits, well above the $40,000 they would make if their salaries were determined by California general law.

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However, because Los Angeles is charter city, council member salaries are instead determined by a charter drafted by the city and approved by voters.

In 1990 voters approved Proposition H, which tied the salaries of city council members to those of municipal judges.

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Since the passage of the measure, Angelenos' have seen the pay of council members, who earned approximately $61,000 at the time, skyrocket.

The passage of Proposition of 220 in January of 2000 merged municipal courts with superior courts, which in turned linked the salaries of city council members to those of the higher court judges.

As recently as 2007, state superior court judges earned a state legislature approved 8.5 percent raise, which subsequently allowed council members to accept or deny a commensurate pay increase.

Eric Garcetti, who represents parts of Echo Park in city council, was among the council members to decline the raise.

Michael Larsen, president of the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council, suggested the gaudy salaries offered to city council members might encourage potential candidates to run for purely financial reasons.

"Being a city [councilmember] in Los Angeles is undoubtedly a hard job, but most people I've talked to are shocked to find out how much they are being paid," said Michael Larsen, president of the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council. "With a salary that high, I can see the temptation for candidates to  run for city council purely for the money and not out of any sense of civic concern or service."

Serving as a L.A. council member is a full time job, though, both figuratively and literally. Unlike "part-time" councils in New York City and Washington D.C., where members earn approximately $122,000 per year, Los Angeles City Council members are not allowed to hold any other jobs.

Patch is still awaiting comment from the council offices of members José Huizar, Ed Reyes and Eric Garcetti.

Patch had previously reported that city council salaries were tied to superior court judges with passage of the city's updated charter in 1999. We regret the error.


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