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Politics · North America

Oakland councilmembers could receive $108,000 pay and benefits increase

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee backs Measure EE, which could add $108,000 in pay and benefits for city councilmembers. The proposal comes as former Mayor Sheng Thao stands trial over an alleged pay-to-play scheme.

AI-assisted synthesis · Based on 2 outlets' reporting · Article text read from 1 of 2 outlets · 1 article captured only in partHow it's made

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2 outletsLatest reporting 3 min read
Coverage: Too few ratedL 0 · C 0 · R 1 · 1 unrated
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What happened

Key facts

  • Measure EE could increase Oakland city councilmembers’ pay and benefits by $108,000 (per New York Post).
  • With the proposed increase, compensation could reach roughly $256,500 per councilmember, according to an Oakland Report analysis (per New York Post).
  • Oakland’s homeless population was reported at 4,410 in 2026, up from 2,191 in 2015, according to city records and Alameda County’s point-in-time count (per New York Post).
  • Oakland’s homeless population has roughly doubled since 2015, despite a nearly 20% decline over the past two years (per New York Post).
  • Oakland North describes Measure EE as a proposal that would shift Oakland to a strong-mayor government (per New York Post, oaklandnorth.net).

The brief

Measure EE could add $108,000 in annual pay and benefits for each Oakland city councilmember, with total compensation reaching roughly $256,500, according to the New York Post. Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee backs the measure. The New York Post says Oakland Report estimated current annual compensation, including benefits, at about $148,500.

The increase is part of a broader package that the New York Post says would cost an estimated $2 million to $2.6 million in its first year. That would add an expense for a city the outlet describes as struggling to pay its bills. The article does not specify when the measure will be decided or how its provisions would be implemented.

Oakland North’s headline characterizes Measure EE as a proposal to move Oakland to a strong-mayor form of government. The New York Post also connects the proposal to reforms backed by Lee and supporters outside City Hall, saying they are pushing changes in response to what it calls dysfunction in city services.

The headline does not detail the proposed governance changes, and the New York Post excerpt does not explain how the pay increase relates to them. The New York Post cites illegal dumping, crime, strained services and a budget deficit among the city’s concerns. It also reports that Oakland’s homeless population has roughly doubled over the past decade.

City records and Alameda County’s point-in-time count put the total at 4,410 in 2026, compared with 2,191 in 2015, according to the outlet. The same figures include a recent downturn: the New York Post says homelessness fell nearly 20% over the past two years.

The article also reports a 46% increase over the same period of the previous year, attributing that figure to a city report that linked progress on a backlog to additional equipment and funding. The article does not identify the specific service backlog in that passage.

The New York Post further notes that former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao is on trial over an alleged pay-to-play scheme. It does not describe the allegations or establish any connection between that case and Measure EE.

The measure’s potential compensation figures and estimated first-year cost are the financial details the outlet reports; the proposal’s disposition and next steps are not specified.

Why it matters

  • Oakland taxpayers would bear the estimated first-year package cost of $2 million to $2.6 million, according to the New York Post.
  • If enacted as described, the measure could raise each councilmember’s pay and benefits by $108,000, bringing estimated total compensation to roughly $256,500.
  • The New York Post reports both a nearly 20% decline in Oakland’s homeless population over the past two years and a total of 4,410 in 2026, compared with 2,191 in 2015.

What to watch next

  • Whether Oakland advances or approves Measure EE; the New York Post does not specify a decision date.
  • Whether the proposed package proceeds with the reported $108,000 increase and estimated $2 million to $2.6 million first-year cost.
  • How Oakland’s strong-mayor proposal, as characterized in Oakland North’s headline, relates to the compensation changes described by the New York Post.

How it's being covered

Coverage analysisShow details
2 source articles · 2 unique outlets
Outlet political mix: Too few rated· 1 Right · 1 unrated
Where the outlets are based: US/Canada 50% · Unknown 50%
Outlet political mix
Too few rated
Left
Center
Right
0 outlets
0 outlets
1 outlet
The marker shows coverage balance: each unique outlet counts once. 1 unrated outlet is not included.
Geography
Where the outlets covering this story are based.
2 unique outletsDominant coverage: US/Canada
Limited coverage
  • Coverage is currently limited to 2 outlets.
How we measure coverage

How outlets' accounts compare

Updat3 does not yet have enough full reports to compare how outlets framed this story.

Timeline

Developments from this story's sources, dated background we compiled and fact-checked, and our earlier coverage. Each row says which.
  1. Oakland adopted a council-manager form of government.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  2. Oakland voters also established a framework for direct charter decisions through ballot measures such as Measure X in 1998.
    Background · from our historical context
  3. Sheng Thao won election as Oakland mayor.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  4. Federal agents searched Sheng Thao’s home as part of a corruption investigation.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  5. Barbara Lee took office as Oakland mayor after winning the special election.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3

How we got here

Oakland’s 1998 Measure X changed the city’s government structure, replacing a council-manager system with an elected mayor and a city administrator appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the City Council.

That arrangement left Oakland with an elected mayor but divided executive authority between the mayor, the administrator and the council; later proposals to strengthen the mayor’s role therefore arose from a charter structure created by a voter-approved measure. Oakland’s City Charter is the central legal framework for that division of authority.

Original sources

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