Two members of the OC Board of Supervisors are promising to donate their salary increases after approving a substantial pay raise for themselves last month.
Second District Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento and Chair Doug Chaffee, representing the Fourth District, have each announced they will redirect the roughly $50,000 more they’ll get annually. The pay raises caused backlash from the county’s largest union after the county tightened spending and implemented a hiring freeze.
Sarmiento said in a statement published Monday afternoon that after talking with his family and “reflecting on the stark contrast between this raise and the ongoing hardships faced by our immigrant neighbors,” he has decided to donate his salary increase to a legal defense initiative for families navigating the immigration system.
“As an attorney, I understand that lack of legal counsel remains one of the greatest barriers for families facing deportation and separation,” Sarmiento said in a statement. “At a time when immigrant families face vicious abuse from unjust federal policies and an absence of due process, it is more important than ever that we stand together.”
Supervisors’ pay has been tied for years to the salaries of superior court judges throughout the state. Previously, their match was set at 80% of what a judge made, or about $195,000 a year. Now the supervisors’ salary will mirror the judges, who currently make $244,000 annually.
The salary increase was approved 4-1, with Fifth District Supervisor Katrina Foley voting against it.
A few hours following Sarmiento’s announcement on Monday, Chaffee’s office issued a press release saying he’d be donating his raise to an environmental studies scholarship fund that he and his wife established at the University of Redlands, a private college in the Inland Empire.
“We are proud to expand our scholarship program to create more opportunities for students who are passionate about environmental sustainability, climate action and the protection of our natural resources,” Chaffee said in a statement.
The donation will allow more undergraduates at Chaffee’s alma mater pursuing an environmental studies degree to receive an annual scholarship, according to the news release.
Supervisors weren’t alone in receiving pay raises at the last board meeting. They also approve higher pay for county CEO Michelle Aguirre and County Counsel Leon Page.
Aguirre earlier this year had told department heads that they needed to continue a hiring freeze and find cost savings measures as the county was facing a difficult budget to balance.
The Orange County Employees Association, in a message shared with its members and the supervisors, said that the decision to change the supervisors’ pay structure was “insulting” to county workers after being told to reduce costs.
“When leaders take for themselves, they lose trust,” OCEA’s leadership wrote. “We urge the board to reconsider their raise and meet with front-line workers to understand how the current budget impacts services and morale. County employees are told to cut spending and hiring while maintaining the same level of services and standards. The board must see how out of touch they are with those serving the community.”