When Thomas Jefferson said, “The government closest to the people serves the people best,” he was touting the benefits of local government decision-making. Local officials are more accountable to voters than those in far-off places, but that doesn’t mean that locals necessarily are fonts of good sense.
One need only look at the Los Angeles city government to dispel that notion. Orange County has 34 incorporated cities, a Board of Supervisors and other local elected boards and agencies. Anyone who peruses these news and opinion pages knows they keep us busy with their questionable antics.
The latest one is a surprise, though, as it comes from Newport Beach—generally regarded as a decently run city. As the VoiceofOC reported, City Manager Grace Leung had a contract to serve as the city’s top administrator that lasted until the end of 2026. She received a base salary of nearly $346,000. Transparent California reports her 2024 total compensation package at nearly $525,000, which includes other benefits and pension debt.
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Editorial: The Second Amendment protects ammo, too Editorial: Newsom’s redistricting plan is a bad idea, but consider the context Editorial: Riverside County Sheriff’s Department needs serious oversight Sacramento can’t even be honest about Capitol Annex Cal/OSHA another failed state agency Per the article, Leung had an employment contract that lasted through the end of 2026, but the City Council recently approved a new agreement that has her working until the end of this year. That’s fine enough, as employment situations change. But the council also agreed to provide her with a severance package that amounts to a full year’s salary. We have a hard time understanding how such massive payouts in any way benefit the taxpaying public.To make matters more inexplicable, the council promoted the assistant city manager to the top post, paying her a base salary of $363,000. Residents at the public meeting reportedly questioned why the city rushed to make the appointment—and why it will now be paying two city managers’ salaries over one year. These are interesting questions, but they only got pabulum for answers given that the selection process was a confidential one.
Granted, such wastefulness isn’t on par with what we find in the state Capitol or in Washington, D.C., but it’s still an example of fiscal irresponsibility.
Hence then, the article about newport beach s fiscal folly as it pays two city managers was published today ( ) and is available on The Orange County Register ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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