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LA City Councilmembers are Paid $178,789, the Highest in the Nation
At a City Council Transportation Committee Meeting | Photo by alexbcthompson via Flickr
In New York City, an elected councilmember gets paid $112,500; in San Francisco, $95,868; and in Chicago, $110,556. Save for a handful who opted out of a 2007 raise--Garcetti, Greuel, Janice Hahn and Weiss all get paid $171,648--the going salary is $178,789 and increasing. And that's just the beginning according to a scathing 7,000 word cover story from LA Weekly's Patrick Range McDonald. Considering the salary, the big question is if these politicians are getting the job done.
Beyond their salaries, they receive $100,000 in slush funds a year "which amounts to walking-around money that they can dole out to anyone — family members or gangbangers if they choose — as long as they don’t spend it on religious proselytizing or political races." And each councilmember gets a car complete with maintenance and gas (a value of $6,000 to $15,000 a year) to use around town.
All this adds up to around $300,000 coming at them. For that much in taxpayer money, are you getting the representation you deserve?
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