Palo Alto City Manager Ed Shikada speaks at a Veterans Day ceremony in King Plaza outside City Hall in Palo Alto on Nov. 8, 2021. Photo by Magali Gauthier.
Palo Alto’s city manager’s salary this past year surpassed that of the president of the United States. Ed Shikada received $413,830
plus benefits (e.g., medical and dental insurance, travel, partial housing assistance and other allowances); Joe Biden’s annual salary is $400,000.
The total city payroll was $148 million last year, up 13 percent from 2022’s $131 million, according to a Daily Post news report. City employee salary hikes were awarded by the city council last summer, ranging from 7 to 21 percent, depending on the job. There were 1,315 paid employees last
year.
This June the council approved 29 additional full-time employees, bringing the total to 1,344 paid staff. Benefits average $30,000 per employee annually.
In 2022, 10 employees made more than $300,000 a year this past year that number just about tripled — 27 employees broke the $300,000 threshold. That seems like a comfortable amount to live on.
Comparing Shikada’s salary with that of a president of the U.S. shows vast differences in the size and scope of responsibilities. For example, the city of Palo Alto has approximately 65,000 people which he oversees, and had almost a $1 billion budget this past year — and more than $1.2 billion this current year. The presidential area of responsibility in the U.S. far exceeds that of a Palo Alto city manager. President Joe Biden has around 337 million residents that he serves, and a $1.7
trillion budget in 20223. As you well know, a billion is way bigger than a million, and a trillion is a million of billions.
Yet Shikada’s salary was $13,830 more than Biden’s. Seems like Joe doesn’t have as good a salary deal as Ed. But Biden does get to live rent-free in the White House for four years and, maybe four more years, depending on the November 5th totals. Shikada has no Army, Navy or Air Force to oversee –just one police
department. Biden has to campaign to win a four-year term. Shikada is not elected to his city manager post that he’s held for six years, but his City Hall office is a bit smaller than the Oval Office. The city manager has a seventh- floor view of the community. Biden just looks out on D.C. traffic.
Maybe I should work for the city?
Palo Alto, in my
estimation, provides its employees high salaries and great benefits. So, there are times that I wish I was a city staffer, not only because of the pay and bennies — but also the time off and flexibility perks.
As the city’s website boasts:
“We offer as much flexibility as possible, and choices that enable you to be most productive, including benefits that meet your needs and learning opportunities that you
feel passionate about … We offer 12 weeks of full pay for medical leave and 6 weeks of full pay for parental leave …
“(The city has) a global benefits program to spend $1,000 per year on items or experiences that refresh and bring joy. And because we consider every employee a stakeholder in our long-term success, we offer an Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) with a 24-month lookback …
“Commuter benefits allow you to set aside up to $300 each month for commuter expenses and parking (limit will increase to $315 in 2024). This means you can save money on your taxes, group discounts on auto and home insurance policies.”
Vacations range from four to 12 weeks a year, depending upon longevity. They get flexible time off, employee discounts, free gym se, and
even pet insurance.
Employees get lifetime pensions nearly equal to their highest salary earned, including unused vacation and overtime included on paychecks. Retirees get full health benefits, including spousal coverage ,and annual cost-of-living adjustments.
All employees get 12 paid holidays a year and 26 Fridays off. Ostensibly, when the Fridays-off policy started in the mid-1980s, it was with a 9/80
understanding that employees needed to work 9 days every two weeks and a total of 80 hours. To achieve that, the schedule ran from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in-office daily.
That requirement faded away, and then disappeared –like years ago.
Now, we all know, the new new thing is “working from home.” It sounds so nice and so comfortable, so cozy. And it’s happening all over the country. The workplace has
changed.
Palo Alto employees spend many hours working from home. According to Shikada, they are encouraged to be at their desks at City Hall two or three days a week – preferably midweek. Some comply, but 7 to 21 percent of the employees aren’t quite meeting those expectations, Shikada acknowledged — but the work is getting done, he added.
I think the younger workforce
nationwide has done extremely well in convincing their employers that they are entitled to work at home from home. And Palo Alto is no exception.
See why, at times, I wish I were a city employee?!
