Two Orange County Supervisors announced on Monday they’d be donating their $49,000 raises to charity after backlash from residents when they voted to boost their own salaries last month.
The salary boost was approved by four out of five county supervisors last month, with Supervisor Katrina Foley voting against it.
The move brought supervisors’ base salaries to over $244,000 – just as they warned about the tightness of this year’s $10 billion budget.
Read: Orange County Supervisors Now Make More Than California’s Governor
The salary boost also spikes the supervisors’ pension payouts, which is based on their salary when they leave office.
The median income for households in Orange County sits at $113,000 as of 2023 according to the US Census.
Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento was the first to turn the money over to charity, announcing Monday afternoon he’d be donating his entire raise to help undocumented immigrants pay for legal fees to navigate immigration courts.
“After thoughtful conversations with my family and reflecting on the stark contrast between this raise and the ongoing hardships faced by our immigrant neighbors, I have decided to donate 100% of my salary increase to support immigrant families in crisis,” Sarmiento wrote in a Monday statement.
Sarmiento publicly defended the boost before it was approved, saying it would help ensure people ran for county supervisor, one of the county’s highest local elected offices.
“After review and evaluation of the salaries paid to supervisors in surrounding comparable jurisdictions, the new ordinance will set compensation to match the regular annual salary of a judge of the Superior Court of the State of California,” Sarmiento wrote in a statement the day before voting in favor of the raise.
Just a few hours later on Monday, his colleague Doug Chaffee also announced he’d be giving his raise to a university scholarship fund that he and his wife set up previously at the University of Redlands for students studying environmental studies.
“We are proud to expand our scholarship program to create more opportunities for students who are passionate about environmental sustainability, climate action, and the protection of our natural resources,” Chaffee said in a statement.
Chaffee previously declined to comment on the raises until Sarmiento announced his action.
Most Riverside County Supervisors make around $226,000 a year for their base annual salary, while LA County Supervisors make nearly $244,000.
Governor Gavin Newsom makes about $242,000 a year.
Salary isn’t the only compensation that county supervisors get.
They also get pensions, car allowances, health insurance and meeting fees they get paid to attend for a slew of regional assignments to bodies like the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which in the past has also featured use of a fuel efficient car.
In 2023 alone, county supervisors received nearly $100,000 apiece in benefits on top of their salary according to Transparent California.
Sarmiento and Chaffee’s pledges are set to be donated in October when the supervisors’ raises take effect.
Details on the exact dollar amount and how the donation will occur “is still being worked out,” according to Sarmiento’s spokesperson.
No other county supervisors responded to requests for comment.
Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org.