Yaroslavsky Pledges to Donate Raise : Politics: Councilman defends taking 5% increase that he had said he would reject. He also vows to waive increased benefits he would accrue.

Los Angeles City Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky on Thursday defended his decision to take a 5% raise he earlier had forsaken, saying he is donating the proceeds to four community programs in his district--and pledged to waive increased pension benefits that went with the raise.

The raise will be worth about $1,200 this year, but much more in pension benefits when Yaroslavsky, 46, becomes eligible to draw retirement pay at the age of 55.

“It was never my intention to personally benefit from this pay increase, and I will not benefit from either the salary raise or the pension increase,” Yaroslavsky said.

“The increase in retirement benefit is financially insignificant--approximately $500 per year, which by the time I am old enough to retire will be worth, perhaps, $100, $150 per year, less than $10 or $15 a month,” he said. “However, I refuse to let even this small benefit cloud the impact of my decision to donate money to community groups.”

Yaroslavsky said his action will benefit the Beverly-Fairfax Patrol, the Sherman Oaks Senior Citizens Center, the Westwood Farmers Market and the Studio City Library project.

Late last year, Yaroslavsky and 13 of his 15 council colleagues voluntarily rejected a 5% raise available to them on Jan. 1, as a symbol of their own economic belt-tightening at City Hall.

On July 22, Yaroslavsky sent a one-sentence letter to City Controller Rick Tuttle, rescinding his agreement to reject the pay hike, according to a spokesman for Tuttle.

Spokesman Tim Lynch said Yaroslavsky is the only one of the 13 members to rescind his agreement. The raise took effect Aug. 22.

The move to forgo the raises was initiated by Councilwoman Laura Chick, who argued that such self-sacrifice was needed to signal taxpayers and employees that the city faced big budget deficits.

Yaroslavsky was the first to join her campaign, and he appeared at a news conference with Chick to urge their council colleagues to join them.

Yaroslavsky is joining the Board of Supervisors in December.