Brentwood city manager receives salary increase while on paid leave amid texting scandal
Brentwood’s city manager G. Harold Duffey got a roughly 3% raise despite being on paid administrative leave since June over a raunchy texting controversy.
The Brentwood City Council voted unanimously to raise city manager G. Harold Duffey’s annual salary by roughly 3%, moving it from $304,515 to about $313,650, with the change effective July 16. Duffey has remained on paid administrative leave since June after a scandal involving sexually suggestive texts with former Oakland administrator Jestin Johnson and complaints of gender-based discrimination. A contract “compaction clause” required Duffey’s pay to stay 5% above the highest-paid direct report, a condition met when Walter O’Grodnick became police chief and narrowed the salary gap.
Despite objections from employee groups and a resident urging a pause on the raise, the council proceeded. Mayor Susannah Meyer noted the leave does not constitute a final determination, and Duffey’s future hinges on either resignation or council termination. The controversy originally drew criticism from Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, who called the messages unprofessional.
Why it matters
It highlights how contractual salary rules can lead to raises for officials under investigation, raising public-trust concerns.
In this story
