Bay Area

Bill to Increase City Council Pay Approved by State Legislature, Heads to Governor’s Desk

A bill designed to increase the diversity of city council members in California by increasing salaries cleared the state’s Legislature and is headed to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk. If Newsom signs it, Senate Bill 329 by state Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, would allow city councils to raise their maximum pay to keep pace with inflation.

Published

3 years ago

June 24, 2023

Oakland Post

California District 3 Senator Bill Dodd representing Solano, Sonoma, Napa, Yolo, Contra Costa and Sacramento counties. (Lorie Leilani Shelley/Senator Dodd via Bay City News)

By Kiley Russell
Bay City News

A bill designed to increase the diversity of city council members in California by increasing salaries cleared the state’s Legislature and is headed to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.

If Newsom signs it, Senate Bill 329 by state Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, would allow city councils to raise their maximum pay to keep pace with inflation.

Any increases would require a simple majority vote by a council and would be calculated using the California Consumer Price Index.

“No one runs for city council to get rich. But the low levels of pay make it much harder to balance careers and personal obligations with the calling to serve their community,” Dodd said.

“It’s especially hard for working people and those from diverse or disadvantaged backgrounds,” he said in a news release Tuesday. “By allowing councils to adjust their maximum pay to reflect inflation, my bill will remove barriers to achieving more equitable representation in local government.”

Currently, city council members’ salaries are capped based on the population size of their cities, and the maximum pay hikes set by state law have not increased since 1984.

That means that for cities with fewer than 35,000 people, monthly salaries generally top out at $300, according to Dodd’s office.

“This is an incredible step toward equitability,” said Rohnert Park Mayor Samantha Rodriguez, who testified in favor of the bill.

According to data compiled by the Bay Area Equity Atlas, a tool to track racial and economic equity in the region, while white people accounted for 40 percent of the Bay Area’s population in 2021, they held 66 percent of local elected offices.

Additionally, Asian and Pacific Islander and Latino populations together made up about half of the Bay Area’s population but accounted for just 24 percent of local elected officials.

“Many councilmembers get paid minimally, if at all. This can provide opportunity for working people who have had to balance jobs, childcare and school with public service,” Rodriguez said.

Dodd’s office said the bill is supported by the League of California Cities and the NAACP.

Newsom’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

4 days ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.