Something stinks over at the O.C. Sanitation District. “The Orange County Sanitation District’s general manager has been awarded a raise that will bring his total compensation to nearly $290,000 in the coming year and make him one of the most highly paid government executives in Orange County,” according to the L.A. Times.
Is this one of the reasons why the O.C. Sanitation District’s Board of Directors recently raised our sanitation rates by 13%?
Here are the poopy details, from the L.A. Times:
The compensation package for James Ruth — which includes a performance bonus, deferred compensation and reimbursement for out-of-pocket medical expenses — was so hefty that some members of the sanitation district’s board of directors voted Wednesday night to oppose it, resulting in a rare split vote on a top government manager’s pay.
Board members, including those who opposed the package, said Ruth has done an excellent job managing the district, which has undergone a major overhaul and launched a world-renowned system to treat wastewater and eventually make it fit for human consumption again.
But the opposing board members also said they thought the percentage increase of the raise was too large, the bonus was inappropriate for a government manager and noted that the district recently imposed a 13% fee hike on its customers to pay for increased operating costs.
Ruth’s new annual base salary is $225,000 — up from nearly $210,000. But it is still below that of Orange County’s other two top government managers, Executive Officer Thomas G. Mauk and Arthur T. Leahy, chief executive of the Orange County Transportation Authority. In June, Leahy received a raise to $266,656 a year. Mauk’s pay was set last year at $253,562.
But with a $14,700 bonus, $20,500 in deferred pay and up to $3,500 in reimbursement for medical expenses, plus the cost of other benefits, Ruth’s total compensation is $289,364, according to staff documents provided to the board.
Leahy’s total compensation, which includes categories similar to Ruth, is about $332,200.
So what did Jim Ruth have to say about all this? He had no comment. He was on vacation. That figures. I would be celebrating too if I just got a raise of over $40,000! According to the O.C. Register, “That’s a 17.6 percent increase from what he has been making (including all the extras, such as benefits and a merit bonus).”
Should O.C. public managers be paid CEO money to do their jobs? I don’t think so. I don’t care what other agencies are paying their people. We should draw the line here in Orange County. These levels of pay are simply disgusting.
How about a cap on all public employees in Orange County, wherein they could not make more than three times the median household income here in Orange County, which is $65,953? That would “limit” them to $197,859. That is still a chunk of change, but it is better than paying them over $300,000! Right now they are making over four times the median household income!
Would limiting the pay of these overpaid public servants prevent us from hiring good managers? I doubt it. Why not find out? Paying these folks over $300,000 each while so many people in our county are suffering is just criminal – particularly when we are being forced to pay higher rates in part to underwrite these ridiculous incomes.
Kudos to the few directors who voted no on Ruth’s ridiculous raise, including Supervisor Chris Norby.
Lets move some of that money to the Santa Ana and Capistrano School Districts. It will keep them from having to lay off to get out from under their mismanagement (no, their money problems are not from the State Budget) and let the Sanitation District and Transit Agency have a bake sale to raise money for their top CEO pay.
As a matter of fact lets make all Chief Administrator pay for all the government agencies in OC dependent on fundraising and not let them make their employees do that work for them.
Hell, they got those jobs because of their wealthy friends and connections, let them go to them for their pay too.
Didn’t the Yoga Priest controversy occur on this guy’s watch?
Ruth’s new compensation is still below, way below, that of a private sector CEO of a similar sized organization. He is the fellow who was hired to clean up the mess involving those questionable consultants, and has done a stellar job. He did great work for the City of Anaheim and the County too. He is worth every penny.