Santa Ana Council Member David Penaloza Challenges Supervisor Sarmiento’s Vote to Increase BoS Salary

In case you missed it, the Orange County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to increase their compensation so they now earn more than the Governor of California.  Democratic Supervisor Katrina Foley was the sole “no” vote while Democratic supervisor’s Doug Chaffee and Vince Sarmiento have announced they will donate their raises; only Republican Don Wagner pushed hard for this increase, so he’ll cash in before he’s termed out.

So both Chaffee and Sarmiento could have (should have) cast a “no” vote which would have killed the measure.  Instead, they are making announcements about where a $49,000 donation will be made which isn’t nearly enough to do any good for their sponsored charities.

Santa Ana Council Member and Assembly candidate David Penaloza penned an open letter to Sarmiento and it’s worth a read.

 

Open Letter to 2nd District Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento

 

Supervisor Sarmiento,

Your recent announcement regarding the donation of your 25% salary increase to support immigrant families comes in the wake of immense public skepticism and criticism, and for good reason.

Just weeks ago, the Orange County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to approve a staggering raise for yourselves, making you the highest paid elected officials in the entire state of California, surpassing even the Governor, while Orange County faces budget shortfalls, hiring freezes, and cuts to essential services. You cast your vote in favor of that raise, while representing the district most deeply affected by federal cutbacks and the alarming rise in kidnappings and detentions of community members by masked ICE agents. And now, after public outrage, you’ve issued a carefully worded statement proclaiming that you will “donate 100% of your salary increase” to “support immigrant families in crisis.”

But your statement raises more questions than it answers.

First, is this donation a one-time gesture or a permanent commitment? Will it apply only this year or for every year the raise remains in place? If so, for how long? And are you planning to claim this donation as a tax deduction, thereby turning a controversial raise into a financial benefit under the guise of charity? Furthermore, how do you plan to distribute these funds? Will the Board publicly agendize the allocation of this “donation” in compliance with the new law signed by Governor Newsom, AB 2946, authored by Assemblymember Avelino Valencia, requiring transparency in district discretionary spending? Will you allow the public and your colleagues to vote on which nonprofit(s) receive these funds? Or do you plan to bypass public oversight, as your statement suggests, by making these decisions unilaterally?

Considering recent scandals facilitated by County leadership, including the $6.2 million in discretionary funds allocated to the Viet America Society, where millions went unaccounted for, the public deserves more than statements and performative virtue. We deserve transparency, oversight, and honest governance. Instead of using your raise as a personal donation pipeline, wouldn’t it make more sense to agendize the cancellation of the raises altogether? That would be a true act of public service, especially when county departments are being asked to do more with a lot less funding.

You speak of dignity, justice, and due process. But true dignity begins with accountability. And justice is hollow without transparency.

The people of Orange County deserve real answers, not optics. I respectfully urge you to publicly clarify the following:

1. Will this “donation” of approximately $50,000 be recurring for every year you serve on the county board or one-time?
2. Will you file a tax deduction on the donation, thereby receiving a personal financial benefit?
3. What organizations will receive the money, and will this be subject to a public vote or Board approval?
4. Do you plan to agendize an item to reverse or reduce the Board’s raise in light of public backlash and countywide fiscal hardship?
5. Does your method of donation attempt to circumvent the very transparency requirements established by AB 2946, passed to prevent corruption and misuse of discretionary funds?

Supervisor, your district is watching. Orange County is watching. What we expect isn’t grandstanding, but honest, transparent governance. This is especially important now, as both personal and public budgets across the region face looming deficits. Just last year, my own city council colleagues attempted to award themselves a $65,000 raise, an effort I publicly and strongly opposed because of how fiscally irresponsible it was. We are elected to serve, and with that service comes a clear obligation to be transparent, especially when it involves taxpayer dollars.

I await your response to the questions outlined above; thank you in advance.

Kudos to Penaloza for holding Sarmiento accountable; he shoudl send the same open letter to Chaffee and openly challenge Wagner and Supervisor Janet Nguyen on their need for a raise at the expense of taxpayers.