Grand jury calls on Sacramento County to explain errors in supervisor raise process

The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors must respond to a grand jury report criticizing the process by which members approved raises for themselves last year as sloppy and lacking transparency. 

In the report released Friday, the Sacramento County Grand Jury recommended the county improve trust by taking actions including requiring county staff to explain financial errors in a public meeting and creating a citizen compensation commission. 

Supervisors voted 4-1 to raise their salaries in two meetings in April and May 2023 without hearing a staff presentation explaining the proposed salary. They approved an ordinance increasing their pay from 55% to 75% of a Sacramento Superior Court judge salary. The change brought their pay from $127,159 to $173,398, a 36% increase. 

But the written county staff report said the proposal would increase their pay by 20%. Staff also used the percentage to incorrectly state the raise would cost the county an additional $173,296 for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, when it actually cost $333,069. 

Steve Caruso, who served as the grand jury foreperson during the investigation, gave Supervisor Sue Frost credit for voting against the raise. But Caruso said supervisors should have pulled the proposal from the consent calendar for a full discussion, which could have given an opportunity for someone to notice the mistakes. County staff put the item on the consent calendar, which is typically reserved for routine issues.  

“It was very sloppy work by the staff, but I think had it been more public, creating a more robust discussion, that some of these items would’ve been handled much differently,” Caruso said. 

The grand jury also recommended the county examine the validity of the raise ordinance, arguing it violates state law. The ordinance stated the raises would go into effect on June 4 of last year, less than two weeks after supervisors gave final approval. But a state law requires ordinances changing supervisors’ salaries go into effect 60 days after approval. 

In an emailed statement, spokesperson Kim Nava said the county is reviewing the grand jury report and plans to formally respond before the deadline in late September. 

“We take this matter seriously and are committed to a thorough examination of the issues raised,” Nava said. 

The grand jury report doesn’t evaluate the amount of the supervisors’ raises. Caruso said he thinks supervisors deserved it, given a consultant’s March 2023 survey showing supervisors received lower pay compared to their counterparts in similar counties. Before the survey, the county hadn’t compared supervisor pay since 1991. 

But examining the raises themselves also has merit, said Sacramento Taxpayers Association President W. Bruce Lee. Constituents ultimately pay for supervisors’ salaries, Lee said. 

“It's absolutely necessary for those that are in elected office to have high ethical standards, as well as all the staff,” Lee said. “We do need to have that bond of trust and that our government is working for us and not just independently.” 

The board is required to respond to the grand jury report by late September.