The generous health and retirement benefits now offered to members of the West Covina City Council will soon become a relic of the past. In a 4 to 1 vote Tuesday, council members opted to eliminate the perks in a bid to save the city money.
The idea was proposed by Councilman Lloyd Johnson and garnered widespread support during the 2015 election. Tony Wu was the lone dissenter during Tuesday’s vote, even though he says he has declined all benefits offered for himself this year.
Currently, members of the West Covina City Council receive life, dental, health and vision insurance, plus a $300 monthly car allowance and $300 per month in deferred compensation and retirement benefits through CalPERS. These benefits come on top of a $765 monthly stipend. With the new rules in effect as of Nov. 2017, council members will be offered the health care plans at their own expense and will receive just $150 per month in car allowances.
Johnson and his supporters note that city council membership is both a voluntary and part-time position.
“I feel that our stipend that we receive as a council should be enough,” Johnson said.
But Councilman Wu pointed out the inherent difficulties of the job, which can often feel much more like a full-time gig.
“The only thing I worry about is that future candidates won’t want to run,” Wu added. “We want to encourage everybody to run.”
Budget concerns have forced a growing number of cities to reconsider their benefit policies in recent years. A 2011 analysis by the Los Angeles Times found significant disparities as well, with some of the most generous benefits being doled out in some of the state’s smallest cities.
Read more about West Covina’s recent vote here.