Give Back the Raise

I am writing to you as a private citizen, but also as a county employee and a councilwoman for the city of Santa Paula. I was shocked by the decision of our Ventura County judges to raise the salary of Court Clerk Sheila Gonzalez. While it may be true that some of her ideas have helped save the county money, isn’t that her job? Isn’t that the job of all county employees?

I think we are forgetting that it is the rank-and-file workers who actually implement those ideas and whose workloads have increased as a result of the cuts in staff from those ideas, while their salaries have not increased. They are not being rewarded for the efforts they make.

More attention should be paid to what is fair. This elitist system is offensive and expensive. I praise the seven judges who did not vote for the raise, both for their sensitivity to their co-workers and for their commitment to the taxpayers of Ventura County.

In a time when the Board of Supervisors is trying to limit management “perks” and automatic raises, it would have been wiser for all of the judges to have joined in the spirit of these conservation efforts. The morale of county workers is at an all-time low, as is the trust many citizens place in their government.

Ms. Gonzalez, give back your raise. Show us your good faith. Don’t keep saying to the rank and file: “Let them eat cake.”

Margaret Ely

Santa Paula

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