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At its Tuesday, Dec. 3, meeting, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors voted 3-0 to give future board members a raise. Supervisors also voted to change the metric by which supervisor salaries are set. Supervisor David Canepa was absent and Supervisor Ray Mueller abstained from the vote.
Future board members will have their salaries set at 80% of the annual salary of a State of California superior court judge. As of July 1, 2024, California superior court judges make $244,727 yearly, which means that future board salaries will increase to at least $195,782 plus benefits. Future supervisors will also be provided with an employer-paid deferred compensation plan, where the county would pay 4% of a supervisor’s salary into a retirement account similar to a 401(k).
San Mateo County is one of the only counties that did not set its board member salaries as a percentage of the annual salary of a superior court judge. Both Alameda and Santa Clara counties set their board member salaries at 80% of a superior court judge’s as well, while Contra Costa, Marin and Sonoma counties set their board member salaries ranging between 60% to 75% of a superior court judge’s.
Sitting supervisors’ compensation cannot increase during their terms, so the salary increase will not go into effect until new board members are elected. The raise will go into effect for districts 2 and 3 in January 2027, and for districts 1, 4 and 5 in January 2029.
Mueller abstained from the vote as he has already publicly expressed that he will be running for reelection.
The raise was proposed by Supervisors Warren Slocum and Dave Pine, who are terming out. Supervisor Pine will be replaced by former U.S. Congresswoman Jackie Speier, and Slocum will be replaced by East Palo Alto City Council member Lisa Gauthier.
“I think as our board continues to become more diverse, I think it’s important that we stay up to date with comparable counties. … We all have to live in our districts,” said Supervisor Noelia Corzo, whose district covers San Mateo, Foster City and parts of Belmont. “My district is very, very expensive.”
Other than salary increases to adjust for inflation, this is the first time the board’s base salary has been adjusted since 2005, when the board’s compensation was increased by 10%. Supervisors currently make $173,552 yearly, according to the county’s public pay schedule. Supervisors remain eligible for a yearly cost-of-living adjustment to their salaries.
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