Long Beach : Committee OKs Council Pay Raise, Stronger Veto

A proposal that would double the salary of Long Beach’s part-time City Council and strengthen the mayor’s veto power moved closer to the ballot this week with the easy approval of a council committee.

Sitting as members of the Charter Amendment Committee, the City Council approved the proposed City Charter amendments 6 to 2. Councilwoman Jan Hall was absent and Councilmen Evan Anderson Braude and Les Robbins voted no.

Neither Braude nor Robbins opposed the pay increase or a stronger veto for the mayor. Rather their votes were based on other objections. The proposals are tentatively scheduled for the June ballot, the same ballot that will ask voters to approve a new property tax levy to finance the hiring of 75 additional police officers. Predicting that both items will fail if forced to compete for voter approval on the same ballot, Robbins wanted the charter amendments postponed to the November election.

Braude advocated other changes in the charter, including one that would give council members--in addition to the mayor--the power to nominate appointees to city commissions.

The council, meeting as the council, must still vote on the charter changes, which were drawn up by a task force committee.

Under the proposed amendments, the council salaries would jump to about $35,000 a year and the nine-member council would need six votes, rather than the current five, to override the mayor’s veto.