The four other council members rejected another motion by Mansoor that would have stopped automatic increases in City Council health benefits and force the council to vote for any future increases.
City Council members make a salary of about $11,000 a year and get about $18,000 in health benefits, which increases automatically every year.
During past meetings, Councilwoman Katrina Foley has criticized the mayor’s proposal as political grandstanding.
Such a modest cut in the secondary incomes of council members does not match the hundreds of dollars a month that the council is asking its employees to take, Foley said, and the suggestion just belittles their sacrifices.
Mansoor said the gesture was meant to show good faith and a willingness to share in the city’s financial hardships.
Mayor Pro Tem Wendy Leece said that if and when the city’s employees agree to take the 5% pay cut that the council has asked of them, she would be willing to cut her salary by 5% too. Councilman Eric Bever asked Mansoor to make the pay increases contingent on city employees agreeing to pay cuts saying, “the idea was to show a spirit of unity with our staff.”
“Well, I’m trying to show a spirit of leadership,” Mansoor said, rejecting Bever’s idea.
DEVORE’S NUCLEAR BILL HAS MELTDOWN
Assemblyman Chuck DeVore’s fifth attempt to resurrect nuclear power in California died this week in committee.
Assembly Bill 1035 would have created a one-time exemption from state law to build a new nuclear thermal power plant, ending a 33-year moratorium on the construction of new plants.
DeVore has been a vocal advocate of nuclear power. The assemblyman claims nuclear power would help the state reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
