New Santa Ana City Manager is set to be a multi-millionaire

New Santa Ana City Manager Will Get Big Salary and Pension

By ADAM ELMAHREK, Voice of OC

In addition to more than $550,000 in compensation in the coming year from Santa Ana, new City Manager David Cavazos is also set to begin collecting a six-figure annual pension from Phoenix, according to a report in the Arizona Republic newspaper.

The 53-year-old Cavazos worked at Phoenix City Hall for 26 years and was city manager for the last four, which puts him in line for an annual pension of at least $130,000, which means that his income in the coming year will at minimum be close to $700,000 and perhaps significantly higher.

Cavazos also helped himself, both in terms of his pension and new salary, by negotiating last year for a controversial $78,000 pay raise. The Phoenix City Council agreed to the raise, which amounted to a more than 30-percent bump over his previous salary, because council members credited him with closing a massive budget shortfall and indicated they didn’t want to lose him to another city.

But within months of receiving his raise, Cavazos was applying for the city manager opening in Santa Ana. So the raise not only increased the pension Phoenix taxpayers will pay him, but also allowed him to demand a $315,000 annual salary from Santa Ana taxpayers, which is more than the city has ever paid to its top bureaucrat.

Paul Walters, the city’s previous city manager, was paid $265,000, plus benefits.

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Art Pedroza Editor
Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.
Art Pedroza

Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

View Comments

  • This is disappointing. Even more disappointing and scary is people who consider the VOC as the "newspaper of record". Adam merely hijacked links from his commenters in an effort to "build" this story. Little footwork or reporting, just more rehashing.

    Here's why this is scary: When first confronted by the VOC about possible Brown Act violations and the exorbinant salary benefitted to the new city manager, Council Member David Benavides "declined comment on the matter."

    Yet in an accompanying article and another in the Los Angeles Times and a third in the OC Register, he is widely quoted.

    So do "news sources" get to shape opinion in favor of a certain faction? Well if you are funded by the unions, favoring democrat politicians: YES.

    Where are the "Cub Reporters" on this Brown act violation, what about those other guys wanting to blow up Anaheim over mismanagement by government.

  • Where are the "Cub Reporters"?
    O.K. Papa Bear!
    This ain't about the VOICE of O.C.
    It ain't about Pedroza Blog.
    I'ts about everyone in this corrupt country that see's their paychecks shrinking while the politicians salaries keep increasing. F THem! They think this B.S. is gong to sustain. NOT!
    Talk Later Fools.
    Pulido needs to show some originality.
    This corrupt B.S. is getting old.

    • You can't pin this on Pulido. The Council fired Walters and they hired this new guy. This is all their doing.

  • I was Concieved, born and raised in the city of Santa Ana. This man, in my opinion, is earning way to much for comfort knowing this city still has some of the poorest neighborhoods in Califonia. Why does society allow this to happen in America? It's as if even the middle and lower class cannot believe a good life can be lived without a half a million a year salary.

  • I loved the comment on the VOC:

    "So the new city manager earns $550 TIMES what Roman Reyna does" This is paraphrased.

  • I'll run the city for $80,000 and I'll moved into Santa Ana. City Counsel, when you wake up, give me a ring and we can talk how I can run your city without rapping the Santa Ana people financially!

  • I just read Santa Ana Spring spokesman Art Lomeli brag that the council has an "economic development plan" for the city?

    Even Seamus would ask: "Do they plan on sharing this with us"?

    Phil B + P. David x "economic development = handouts and relaxed restrictions to bars,. resturaunts and other low income generating businesses and when we wake up Calle Cuatro will be just like it was twenty five years ago, empy stores a glut of bars and unemployed people milling around it.

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