The City Council on Monday will consider sweeping changes to how the mayor and councilmembers are compensated, including higher stipends and new reimbursable allowances for family care, home office expenses, and personal security.
The recommendations come from the Committee on City Councilmembers’ Compensation, an eight-member citizen panel convened earlier this year under Section 405 of the City Charter. The committee’s final report calls the changes necessary to “broaden access to public service,” reduce financial barriers to running for office, and address safety concerns facing local elected officials in an increasingly polarized environment.
Under the proposal, the annual stipend for each Councilmember would increase from $23,292 to $36,000, and the mayor’s stipend would increase from $34,932 to $54,000. That represents a monthly increase from $1,941 to $3,000 for councilmembers and from $2,911 to $4,500 for the mayor.
The committee is recommending creation of two new reimbursement allowances: an annual Family Care Reimbursable Allowance of $18,000 for each Councilmember and the mayor to help cover the cost of caring for dependents, and a per-term Office Setup, Operations and Security Reimbursable Allowance of $20,000 to cover costs such as laptops, phones, home internet, office furniture, and home security systems.
The committee also recommended increasing the existing General Expense Reimbursable Allowance from $3,600 to $6,000 per year for councilmembers, and from $6,000 to $11,000 per year for the mayor.
If approved by the council, the City Attorney would be directed to draft an ordinance within 60 days. Any final ordinance adopting compensation changes must be approved by at least a two-thirds vote of the City Council.
The committee — chaired by Rita Moreno and including appointees from each council district — met seven times between June 30 and Sept. 24. Members interviewed former Pasadena councilmembers and former city managers, reviewed compensation data from comparable California cities, and surveyed current Pasadena elected officials about workload.
The committee voted unanimously to recommend the stipend increases and the new Office Setup, Operations and Security allowance. The Family Care allowance passed on a 5-2 vote, with supporters arguing that without direct support for caregivers, Pasadena will continue to limit who can realistically serve.
City staff estimated the maximum annual cost of the recommendations at about $314,000 in Fiscal Year 2026. That includes roughly $135,000 for stipend increases and up to $179,000 for the new and expanded allowances.
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