Council Urged to Let City Vote Again on Salary Hike

Councilman Jose Fernandez may not have succeeded in convincing his fellow council members to put their salary increases up for voter approval, but he won’t stop trying.

Last November, Inglewood voters approved quadrupling the salaries of City Council members, who now earn $47,250 a year. The mayor’s salary went from about $20,000 a year to $94,500.

Even though the salary boost was approved by 60% of the voters, many residents have complained they didn’t understand the ballot measure, which did not mentioned an exact dollar amount.

At a City Council meeting last week, Fernandez asked his fellow council members to put the issue on the ballot again. They denied his request on a 3-2 vote, with Judy Dunlap backing Fernandez.

On Monday, Fernandez said he will bring the issue up again in a few weeks. “I will let my colleagues think about what was brought before them and digest the whole idea,” he said. “A vote would give people the opportunity to clear the air on this matter.”