Huge Pay Jump

Regarding your story on the Thousand Oaks city manager’s retroactive pay raise: he started in 1978 at $3,458 per month to his present $10,764. I guess he has something to be thankful for while we taxpayers are like the turkey that I just ate: helpless.

I wonder how many of your readers have been lucky enough to have a 311% increase in pay doing the same job. My wife is to be laid off before Christmas because the plant that employed 800 in Oxnard will make the widgets at a cheaper cost in Singapore. With a science degree and 20 years’ work experience, companies want to offer her entry-level pay; why should they pay a premium when there are 100 applicants for every job offer? But alas, city bureaucratic bosses are different. The money is not coming out of their income or company profits.

NICK E. QUIDWAI

Newbury Park