Pay Raise Backed for Top County Court Officer : Government: The four-judge panel recommends the increase for Sheila Gonzalez, who earns $96,624, plus perks.

Eight months after backing away from a proposed $23,000 pay raise for the executive officer of the local courts, a committee of Ventura County judges has recommended that Sheila Gonzalez’s salary be increased.

And during a private meeting today, the full Ventura County bench will decide on whether to take the committee’s advice.

Presiding Superior Court Judge Melinda A. Johnson confirmed Wednesday that the four-judge committee has recommended the pay boost, and the courts’ Superior and Municipal judges will vote on the item this afternoon.

Gonzalez, 50, now earns a base salary of $96,624, plus about $25,000 in perks and benefits. Johnson refused to divulge the size of the raise being recommended for Gonzalez, as did Superior Court Judge Richard D. Aldrich, a member of the committee recommending the pay hike.

The committee was formed solely to decide this issue.

But an anti-tax crusader said the raise should be rejected if it is anywhere near the $23,000 salary hike considered for Gonzalez last March.

Jere Robings, who resigned Wednesday as president of the Ventura County Alliance of Taxpayers to run for a seat on the county Board of Supervisors, criticized any raise for Gonzalez that exceeds 3%--or about $3,000.

Robings said a higher raise would place Gonzalez’s salary above those of the state attorney general and the Ventura County district attorney and on a level with the governor and state Supreme Court justices.

County Supervisor John K. Flynn had also criticized the proposed $23,000 raise last year, but said Wednesday he wanted to reserve comment this time until he finds out the size of the raise to be considered today for Gonzalez.

He did say, however, that he would denounce it if it is in the $23,000 range. “That seemed to be rather excessive,” Flynn said.

Gonzalez, through a spokeswoman, declined comment.

Her supporters say she has never asked for a raise. But they say she is a tireless, creative administrator who might be lured by another county if her pay remains constant.

She has been at her current salary rate for three years, supporters say.

A committee of two judges from both the Municipal and Superior courts was formed to study Gonzalez’s pay after the proposal to increase her salary by $23,000 met opposition from Robings, Flynn and at least one Superior Court judge.

The committee compared Gonzalez’s duties--including the number of people she supervises and the scope of her responsibilities--to those of other court administrators across the state, Aldrich said.

It found that she had streamlined the Ventura County courts administration and saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in the process, said Aldrich.

For example, he said Gonzalez serves as court clerk as well as executive officer of the Superior and Municipal courts, eliminating the need for two additional administrators.

“Most counties in California do not have full administrative consolidation,” Aldrich said. “We’re the only court that does.”

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“We thought it only fair to attempt to bring her salary in line with other counties of comparable size and other courts of comparable size,” Aldrich said. “We are very blessed, in my opinion, in this county to have someone of her caliber doing the job she is doing.”

Robings, however, pointed out that Gonzalez has deputy administrators who oversee the various operations of the courts. She employs two assistant executive officers and four deputy executive officers.

Most officials agree that Gonzalez has done a good job running the court administration the past seven years. In November, the National Center for State Courts honored her with the 1993 Warren E. Burger Award, considered to be the top prize in America for a court administrator.

She holds numerous state and national judicial committee posts, including heading an advisory committee of court administrators for the state judicial council.

Under her direction, the Ventura County courts have received the Ralph N. Kleps Award in each of the three years it has been handed out, Aldrich said. He said the award is given to courts in California that have demonstrated the most creative management.

“Ventura County has won that award ever since it has been established,” Aldrich said. “Sheila Gonzalez is the reason we have won it.”

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Even her supporters acknowledge that they can understand why the public might criticize giving a sizable raise to someone already earning more than $96,000.

“To anybody earning less than that, it seems phenomenal,” Presiding Superior Court Judge Johnson conceded. “It seems unjust.”

But in light of the money Gonzalez has saved the county and Gonzalez’s achievements in streamlining her staff and management team, Johnson said she deserves to be well paid.

“I don’t know what we would do without her,” Johnson said. “I just shudder to think about it.”