Tue. Dec 3rd, 2024

It is bad enough that the Santa Ana City Council majority – comprised of Council Members Michele Martinez, Vince Sarmiento, Sal Tinajero and David Benavides – is planning on hiring Raul Godinez to be our new City Manager, after he washed out as the El Monte City Manager. Now my sources are reporting that the City Council wants to pay Godinez over $500,000 a year in pay and benefits!

That would be quite a raise for Godinez, who is currently in charge of Public Works at the tiny City of Lynwood, which is paying him $174,294.50 in total pay and benefits, according to Transparent California.

Why would the Santa Ana City Council more than double Godinez’ pay, particularly when he flamed out so spectacularly when he was the City Manager in El Monte? You might recall that he ended up resigning from that job after he was heavily criticized for hiring a racist anti-immigrant Police Chief.

The median household income in Santa Ana is $54,521, according to the City of Santa Ana. Incredibly the Santa Ana City Council majority is offering Godinez a total pay package that is almost ten times the median household income in our city!

Did you know that the City Manager in Irvine – a city that is run much better than Santa Ana, makes a total pay package of $389,320.59? Yet the Santa Ana City Council majority is offering to pay Godinez half a million a year – quite a bit more than the Irvine City Manager gets paid!

It is not too late to stop this travesty! Click here to email the City Council.

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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.

By 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.

2 thoughts on “The Santa Ana City Council majority is planning on paying their new City Manager over half a million a year”
  1. This is outrages! Then they will place a fee increase so we the residents can pay. Shame on them!

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