Top state think tank rips Supes' Bonus for Bureaucrats program

Santa Clara County Supervisors did more than embarrass themselves locally with their recent extravagant bonus program for county workers who make more than $200k/year, they humiliated themselves on the state level, too. California Policy Center, the leading state think tank on California politics, places the Supes' misguided giveaway in context, and provides some acute, critical analysis. Chris Reed of CPC is the author.

Now comes the latest example of California politicians who have long complained about not having enough money to fix roads or build homeless shelters coming upon a windfall -- then quickly concluding that what most needed to be addressed was employee compensation.

Earlier this month, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted to use $76 million in emergency federal pandemic aid as “hero pay” for the county’s 22,000 employees. Full-time workers will get bonuses of $2,500. Additionally, 27,000 in-home support services workers who help adults over 65 years old will be given $500.

When speakers at a board meeting made the obvious point that distinctions should be made between first responders and the many bureaucrats who have safely worked from home since March 2020, County Executive Jeffrey V. Smith said that was not possible.

“We felt strongly that everyone in the county employed actually participated vigorously to the greatest extent possible in providing a response to the pandemic,” Smith said. “And therefore, we didn’t feel administratively that we could pick a group or a particular job or a particular activity that was more deserving of a larger amount of money than any other [person].”

If you are groaning, know that you are not alone.

County supervisors did make one very minor concession. They decided not to give the bonus to Smith or to themselves.

The obvious point needs to be made: This is not how compensation decisions are made in the private sector, where employee turnover is much higher than in the public sector. Why? Because overall job satisfaction is much lower for those without pensions and union-backed job security. Improving compensation for public employees who are unlikely to quit doesn’t make sense from a management -- or taxpayer -- perspective.

This dynamic is ignored by those who run California. What is the main goal of most elected Democrats and top administrators? It’s impossible to say it’s providing the best government bang for the buck. Instead, it’s keeping the special interests happy -- starting with the public employee unions who bankroll so many candidates.

It’s hard to find a better example than what we just witnessed in Santa Clara County. I could offer Kern County, where supervisors voted unanimously to spend their federal COVID-19 funds to pay government workers $22.2 million in "hero pay." Or the school districts which ordered bonuses paid to teachers, with one district floating the notion that teachers could use the cash for a trip to Hawaii. Then there are the California city and county officials who went further, voting to force employers to boost the pay of “heroes” in agriculture, grocery stores, and restaurants. Needless to say, businesses that complied with those directives passed along the additional cost to consumers – people who are also struggling to make it.

Chris Reed is a contributing editor to California Policy Center, and an editorial writer and columnist for The San Diego Union-Tribune. You can follow him on Twitter @calwhine.

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