Monterey Park council salaries
Monterey Park was one of the few cities that we weren't able to get into our story about council salaries in the San Gabriel Valley.
Today we change history!
Council members bring in a whopping (sarcasm) $500 a month, plus the standard $30 per redevelopment agency meeting with a maximum four meetings per month.
Elected officials also get full city health benefits.
Email: daniel.tedford@sgvn.com | Twitter: @dgtedford @sgvtribune | Facebook: SGVTribune
Why down play the health benefits? For families, you're talking about several thousand dollars a month. Don't be confused by your own health benefits, which I assume the SGVN helps cover. You may pay a portion, but your employer pays much more. In the case of our electeds, taxpayers need to pick up both parts--well over $1000/month.
How many employers do you know provide free health care to their part-time employees?
And what about the other benefits--car allowance, cell phone, travel reimbursement? How much do these guys REALLY cost their city? And not just for Monterey Park, but for all of our local towns? DO YOUR JOB and publicize this. Don't just tell the story the electeds want told.
You mean like this? http://bit.ly/9OyjMr
I mean you ought to monetize all of the benefits, ESPECIALLY the health benefits. That's a fairer measure than "salaries," right? In the case of Monterey Park, you say their salary is "a whooping $500." But the true cost to taxpayers is several times that. Give us the whole cost, not just part of the cost.
I don't know if my last comment went through or went poof.
The point I am making is you ought to get the full dollar cost of those electeds. Mentioning the benefits is one thing. But when you say their salary is "a whooping $500," you're downplaying the true cost. Monetize EVERYTHING, especially the health benefits. I'm sure that would change "a whooping $500" into "over $2500 a month," which isn't bad for a part time job.