Sacramento city manager to earn $400,000 salary after council votes to raise his pay
Sacramento City Manager Howard Chan is getting a raise.
Following a more than two-hour closed door meeting, the council voted 8-1 to give Chan a 7.5% raise Tuesday, which will increase his base salary from $372,700 to $400,652.
Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela voted against the raise, voicing concerns that the council had recently given several city unions smaller raises. Recent contract for police and firefighters, for instance, included 3.5% raises.
“I’m not looking at this as through Howard as a person and his dedication, but this is a significant amount of money,” Valenzuela said. “It would be different if we hadn’t just given our unions less than half that amount.”
Chan’s base salary is the second highest in the state after Santa Clara City Manager Rajeev Batra, who makes $448,492, according to the state Controller’s Office. Four California city managers earned more than him last year when bonuses and other incentives are included.
Chan’s new income that includes such items will be $456,994, city spokesman Tim Swanson said.
Council members Angelique Ashby, Jeff Harris and Rick Jennings spoke in favor of Chan.
“Yes it is a lot of money and I think he deserves every penny of it so I’m happy to support this,” Harris said.
Jennings agreed. “I can’t think of a better partner to be on my team,” he said.
Neither Chan nor Mayor Darrell Steinberg spoke.
It’s the second time the council has given Chan a raise in a year and a half. In May 2021, the council unanimously approved a 21% raise, bringing Chan’s base salary form $308,016 to $372,700. He did not receive a raise in 2020, the year the coronavirus pandemic struck.
Under Chan’s leadership, the city weathered the pandemic without significant cuts or service disruptions, and opened a new convention center and performing arts center downtown. Since 2018 the city has opened 1,100 homeless shelter beds and spaces, costing $37 million annually.
In January 2020, Chan faced criticism from homeless advocates over his decision not to open an emergency shelter for the homeless on the night of a major storm even though Steinberg and four council members had asked him about it. He made that decision because he was worried about city staff contracting coronavirus, he later said.
He’s also come under criticism by police reform advocates not firing either officer who killed unarmed Black man Stephon Clark in 2018. Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert did not criminally charge the officers. Then-Attorney General Xavier Becerra’s office also investigated the shooting and did not file charges against the officers.
Chan’s new salary is effective in February. He will also receives $500 per month for auto, $100 per month for cell and $400 as a monthly expense allowance. As of June, Steinberg’s base salary is $158,652, while the other eight council members make $99,317.
This story was originally published November 2, 2022 at 6:09 AM.
CORRECTION: This story was updated Nov. 2, 2022, to remove an incorrect reference to leave time in Sacramento City Manager Howard Chan’s contract.
