ESCONDIDO — Council members will see an increase in their salaries beginning after the 2026 election cycle.
During the City Council’s final meeting of 2025, council members unanimously agreed to increase their salaries by 5% each year for the next two years, for a total increase of 10%.
The council is required to consider salary adjustments under both local and state law. Under city policy, council compensation is brought forward for consideration in December of odd-numbered years. If approved, any increase does not take effect until after the subsequent November election cycle ends and members are sworn in the following December.
The City Council previously approved a salary increase in 2023. Before that, the last increase occurred in 2017.
Under the current rate, Escondido pays council members $2,245.06 per month. The mayor receives that base pay plus an additional $4,035.06 per month, for a total monthly compensation of $6,280.12.
Council members are considered full-time equivalent employees.
After negotiations, the City Council agreed to increase base council member pay to $2,469.56 but froze any increase to the mayor’s additional compensation. The mayor will still receive the increase tied to the base council member pay rate.
While most council members expressed discomfort with increasing their salaries during the Dec. 17 meeting, they acknowledged that higher pay could make the positions more accessible to future candidates who are not independently wealthy or retired and who might otherwise need a second job while performing full-time council duties.
Several current council members also work second jobs.
“This item is not fun. It almost feels kind of slimy,” Mayor Dane White said.
White noted that three sitting council members are up for reelection in 2026, “who may not see any of that money.” White, along with council members Joe Garcia and Consuelo Martinez, is up for reelection this year.
Martinez, who previously opposed salary increases, suggested raising pay by 10% over two years while freezing the mayor’s additional compensation to narrow the pay gap.
Martinez acknowledged that while the mayor has additional responsibilities, the position carries the same voting weight as other council members. She also noted that other cities in the region do not compensate their mayors at higher rates than council members.
White, who initially proposed a smaller increase to both council salaries and the mayor’s additional compensation, ultimately agreed with Martinez’s proposal.
Councilmember Judy Fitzgerald said she initially struggled with the idea of increasing salaries but ultimately supported the raises, citing the need to attract a broader pool of candidates.
“We can’t keep saying no to pay raises and keep kicking this down the road for somebody else to deal with,” she said. “I’m hoping it will attract future candidates who are qualified to serve here.”
