By Robert Haugh
On tonight’s agenda, the Santa Clara City Council is likely to approve a major salary increase for a new City Attorney.
Former Chula Vista City Attorney Glen Googins is being offered $114,000 more than his previous job to work in the Mission City.
That’s also more than former City Attorney Brian Doyle made.
Doyle wrote to Santa Clara News Online to correct some misinformation that’s been reported on other websites.
“There seems to be a lot of controversy about what my salary was vis-a-vis the salary of the recently appointed city attorney. My salary was $332,796 as stated in the current schedule.
The new City Attorney’s salary as proposed for the 1/31/23 agenda is $345,000. It is an increase of approximately $12K per annum.
The figures that are published in the Transparency (California) website are not apples to apples because they reflect a partial year of salary plus a payout of accrued vacation pay which is not an accurate figure for the annual rate of pay.”
Doyle was fired by the 49er Five without cause at the urging of the team.
Doyle’s firing was an issue that the Civil Grand Jury raised to show the team’s influence on the candidates they supported with millions of dollars.
Googins’ new salary is also being used by some Santa Clara community leaders to show how the 49er Five are fiscally irresponsible and hypocritical.
None of the 49er Five would comment on this story when asked last week.
Editor’s Note: The 49er Five are Councilmembers Anthony Becker, Raj Chahal, Suds Jain, Karen Hardy and Kevin Park.
Jed York spent $3 million in November 2020 to elect Becker, Jain and Park. They were previously 0-6 in Santa Clara elections. Chahal and Hardy have received gifts from the team without reporting them and received $1 million each for their elections in November 2022.
Appreciate his confirmation that our data is accurate. We often hear from people who don’t like having their public pay exposed that “their data isn’t correct”, despite the fact that it comes directly from the agencies own pay records via Public Records Request.
Whether it reflects an annual salary or not, it most certainly does reflect what was actually paid in each year, and we appreciate the acknowledgement of that.
Uh, Brian, Transparent California lists 345,000 as your base pay for 2020, not 2021 when that payout of vacation would have occurred. https://transparentcalifornia.com/salaries/search/?q=Brian%20Doyle
Are you calling Brian a liar?
Text from jain. “City to budget 6 million to pay for Rowen’s cpras”
Brian Doyle was terminated Aug 2021. There were two raise cycles after that. Dec 2021 and Dec 2022. Doyle’s contract from 2017 had minimum 2% increases and maximum 5% increases. If I apply two 2% increases to $332,796, I get $346,241. Also I believe the statement “Chahal and Hardy … and received $1 million each for their elections in November 2022.” is false. They did not “receive” the money. The expenses were independent expenditures protected under the Citizen’s United decision. Odd that Robert Haugh can’t make the distinction. Is Margaret Gellhorn the sister of John Galt or Stan Garcia.?
The incoming city attorney making more than Doyle did with an increase that tracks inflation is nothing to make hay about.
The big question is whether Googins is qualified for the job. And whether or not he will impartially serve the best interests of the city.
He seems to be well qualified and we shall see how he performs. Whether it was fair or not, Doyle was fired. Even if unfair that does not mean that Googins cannot be a fine city attorney.
YOU FIRED BRIAN DOYLE, you sellout! And cost the City a helluva lot of money making BAD decisions. You whiner miner 5 are all OWNED by Jed York. OWNED! He bought your elections!
6 million for cpras. On your texts, Sudsy. Just like your attack on low income people.
Don’t forget whatever one city pays their city employees influences what nearby cities feel they must offer their staff as well. Civil Service has transitioned to the Public at Large Servitude.
Thanks, Brian Doyle, for clarifying record.
49er 5 = Hypocricy.
Which is worse; that the whiner-5 is ignorant and don’t know they are paying, or that they do know they are paying more and don’t care. Because WE know the reason they fired Brian Doyle and it had nothing to do with money. They don’t mind spending our money but have to do it in a way that jed approves.
Steve Ngo is refusing to address Suds Jain assertion that cpras cost 6 million.
What are cpras?
California public record act requests. CPRA for short.