City Clerk’s Salary Is Increased

Hermosa Beach’s new city clerk will get a 24.5% pay raise, thanks to the old city clerk.

At the recommendation of ex-City Clerk Kathleen Midstokke--who was sworn in as a city councilwoman this week--the Hermosa Beach City Council on Tuesday raised the salary for the part-time elective job to $1,245 a month.

The clerk’s job, officially vacant now that Midstokke is on the council, must be filled within 30 days with an appointee who will complete the remaining two years of Midstokke’s term. Otherwise, the city will have to call a special election in April.

So far, said Midstokke, no applications have been filed, though at least one person--an employee in the Torrance city clerk’s office--has expressed interest in the job.

Midstokke, who was the top vote-getter in the recent election of three council members, said the clerk’s salary hadn’t risen since 1988, when her paycheck went from $750 to $1,000 a month.

The council followed her suggestion, backed by City Manager Kevin Northcraft, to tie the clerk’s salary to that of the deputy city clerk, a full-time city employee whose salary rises with the cost of living. The clerk’s salary is now officially half of the top salary scale for a deputy city clerk.

Only Councilman Chuck Sheldon voted against the raise, arguing that Hermosa Beach paid its clerk more than any other city in the South Bay and that “people who run for city clerk don’t do it for the money.”

But Northcraft argued that the raise might help attract candidates for the opening.