As Sonoma County and its largest labor union square off over compensation, pay for members of the Board of Supervisors has soared 45 percent over the past 10 years. The increase puts the board among the most well-compensated in the state, ahead of counterparts in many larger jurisdictions, an analysis shows.

As of July 1, supervisors received base pay of $141,780 a year plus other earnings, pushing their total pay to almost $160,000. The latest raise added up to a more than $5,000 increase from supervisors base earnings in 2014, thanks to a formula that tethers their salaries to 75 percent of what state superior court judges earn.

By comparison, San Francisco and Sacramento supervisors received annual salaries of about $118,000, according to a Bay Area survey released this summer. Only supervisors in a handful of urban counties such as Alameda and Los Angeles made more, the latest statistics from the California Controllers Office show.

In fact, Sonoma County supervisors are the seventh- or eighth-highest paid in the state, depending on certain criteria, while the county is ranked 17th in size with a population of about 500,000.

As Service Employees International Union workers staged a three-day strike last month, leaders repeatedly contrasted relatively flat wages for rank-and-file employees with those of the five executives responsible for overseeing county government.

People always say the best job in California government is being a county supervisor, said David McCuan, professor of political science at Sonoma State University. Based on this data, Id say one of the very best jobs is being a Sonoma County supervisor.

Supervisors defended their salaries, citing long hours and responsibilities that include presiding over separate boards governing open space and the county water supply, in addition to running their districts.

Chairwoman Susan Gorin said she had no idea what supervisors in other counties are paid. She said she puts in 60 to 80 hours a week in a full-time-plus job involving oversight of a $1.45 billion budget and roughly 4,100 employees.

See full story on pressdemocrat.com

See full story on youtube.com