Deputy County Counsel urge supervisors to address pay gap before closed session

At a special meeting of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, a series of deputy county counsel and other county attorneys urged supervisors to reconsider a salary proposal that speakers said would leave County Counsel attorneys paid substantially less than their peers in the district attorney and public defender offices.

The comments came during a public comment period before the board recessed into closed session on item 1 of the special meeting agenda and item 1 of the In-Home Supportive Services Public Authority special meeting agenda.

Deputy County Counsel leaders said pay parity affects recruitment, retention and the county's legal capacity. Randall Shoblam, senior deputy in the Office of County Counsel and president of the Deputy County Counsel Association, said, "We are here today because we were offered a substantially lower compensation package than our public defender and district attorney colleagues without justifiable reasons... The discrepancy profoundly undermines the value of our work and threatens the county's ability to recruit and retain top talent." He urged supervisors to "up your offer when you go into closed session."

Kristen O'Giel, vice president of the Deputy County Counsel Association, said the gap would harm continuity and institutional knowledge: "the county's ability to retain experienced legal professionals is critical for continue continuity and to preserve institutional knowledge." Robert Ortiz, a senior deputy with County Counsel, said the data did not support the pay difference: "the justification or excuse utilized to pay county council attorneys less than the other 2 attorney groups are just simply not supported by the data."

Sarah Lanham, a litigation attorney in the Office of County Counsel, described the office's role advising public-safety agencies and cited a legal-framework point: "Under the county's charter, county council performs all of the functions of a district attorney except public prosecutor." Several speakers said County Counsel work supports the sheriff, probation and public-health responses and that compensation should reflect those responsibilities.

Jack Wong, a senior County Counsel, urged the board to reconsider the disparity in pay. Kyle Sand, who supports the Health and Human Services Agency, said County Counsel attorneys provide legal services that "directly improve lives" and assist with public-health and safety initiatives. A caller who identified as Steven (last name given in the record as "man") described taking a pay cut to join county service and said he and colleagues had produced trial and other results that exceeded their salaries.

Not all callers supported a pay increase. One caller who later identified themself to the clerk as "Gambler Hermes" said the county should not increase pay, and another caller criticized the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program's operations; those callers' remarks were included in the public record but did not result in an on-the-record decision during the meeting.

Board staff announced there were 12 requests to speak on the closed-session items (six in person, six by phone) and that, under board rules, when 10 or more speakers are on an item the allotted public-comment time is reduced to one minute per speaker. After the public comments ended, the board recessed into closed session. The board's clerk said any reportable actions would be announced during the general legislative session later the same day.

The public comments and closed-session designation make clear the matter remains under deliberation; no formal, reportable action on the compensation issue was made public at the special meeting.