Column questions OC supervisors' pay and meeting schedule

A Voice of OC column published July 13 questioned Orange County supervisors' public meeting schedule and pay, saying the board took a month away from public meetings after approving a 25% pay increase for supervisors and higher executive salaries.

The column frames the issue as a transparency question for Orange County residents, focusing on how the board's biweekly calendar and late supplemental agendas affect public scrutiny of county decisions.

Voice of OC reported that Orange County supervisors moved in 2016 from weekly public meetings to meetings every two weeks, with regular agendas posted two weeks before meetings. The column said supplemental agendas are often released the Friday before Tuesday meetings and can include thousands of pages of last-minute material.

The column said the board recently approved a 25% pay increase for supervisors and raised executive salaries while denying worker raises in the new budget. It also said grand jurors questioned where the proposal to increase politician pay emerged in the public budget process.

In the 2016 discussion cited by Voice of OC, then-County Supervisors’ Chairwoman Lisa Bartlett said, "Right now the board is really squeezed," and described supervisors as "trying to get things done in five days." Bartlett also said, "I have already passed this by the CEO and department heads … and they’re in favor of this. It’s a much more structured process,"

Bartlett argued the approach matched other local governments, saying, "It’s very consistent with city councils. They have the two week rule. At the Board of Supervisors, I think it’s entirely reasonable." Then-County Supervisor Shawn Nelson, now a Superior Court judge, opposed the comparison, according to Voice of OC.

"I want to remind you, we’re full-time here. City councils are part-time, like coaching a softball league," Nelson said. He added, "I signed up for a full-time job and you all did. I think this is a mistake."

The column also said former Supervisor Andrew Do used supplemental agendas to advance questionable contracts later linked to federal bribery charges. Voice of OC described the agenda process as one that can make late items harder for the public to review before votes.

For Orange County residents, the column leaves the debate focused on whether supervisors' pay and public meeting practices match the level of public oversight expected of county government.