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Top City Staff Earning Total in Excess of $300,000 a year; Overtime Pays Swells Police Officers’ Income

Many of the top salaries in the city were earned by police and fire department officers, swelled by significant overtime pay. But first, here are some top, non-sworn administrative salaries. Typical benefits include vacation, healthcare, pension, and insurance.

Published

4 years ago

February 18, 2021

Kiki

Concerned over budget shortfalls Oakland officials are looking at major cost-saving measures in response to the city’s current pandemic-fueled financial crisis. But often not mentioned in this discussion are the salaries of the city’s most highly paid staff, which gives an indication of how much it costs to run the city.

The website Transparent California (transparentcalifornia.com) readily makes available salary information that can be obtained in the public records for City of Oakland employees. Note that the latest reported salaries are for 2019-2020.

Mayor Libby Schaff

Mayor Libby Schaaf earned a salary of $203,000 and a total of $320,179 in salary and benefits.

City Administrator Ed Reiskin

The city administrator, who in 2019 was Sabrina Landreth, earned $316,652 in salary and a total of $478,609 including pay and benefits. The newly hired city administrator is Edward Reiskin, whose salary is $325,178.

Director of Public Works Jason Mitchell earned $241,737 in annual salary, $371, 373 including pay and benefits.

Assistant City Attorney Maria Susan Bee earned $227,623 a year, $351,317 total with benefits.

City Attorney Barbara Parker

City Attorney Barbara Parker earned $229,255 annually, $344,127 with pay and benefits.

Controller Kirsten Anne Lacasse earned $206,468 a year, $339,145 total pay and benefits.

Director of Human Resources Management Ian Donald Appleyard earned $216,220 with a total of $355,199 salary and benefits.

Director of Animal Services Rebecca Katz earned $216,220 a year, a total of $335,040 salary and benefits.

Director of Transportation Ryan Russo earned $216,220. Total with benefits was $322,488.

Assistant Director of Public Works Wladimir Wlassowsky earned $196,628 a year, $322,814 total salary and benefits.

Revenue and Tax Administrator Margaret Louise O’Brien earned $203,377 a year, $324,769 total wages and benefits.

While Oakland’s high police salaries have been reported frequently in the media, it is instructive to look at how much these salaries are inflated by overtime income. Transparent California lists the regular salary and overtime pay separately. The discrepancy in the income may be ‘other’ pay as well as typical benefits.

The top-earning city employee in 2019 was police officer Malcolm Miller, who earned a total of $640,746 in pay and benefits. His regular pay was $126,532 for the year, while his overtime pay was $257,326, which was 40% of his total income.

The next highest earning employee in Oakland was police officer Timothy Dolan, whose regular pay was $128,301. His total wages and benefits were $601,135. His overtime was $322,071, which was 54% of his total annual income.

The third highest-paid employee was a police officer was Marcell Patterson whose regular pay was $123,530. His total wages and benefits were $500,904. His overtime pay was $203,728, which represented 41% of his total annual income.

Police Lieutenant Frederick Shavies earned regular pay of $165,528 and a total of $491,025 in wages and benefits for the year. His overtime pay of $151,705, which represents 31% of his total annual income.

Kiki

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Oakland Post: Week of May 21 – 27, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 21 – 27, 2025

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OP-ED: Oregon Bill Threatens the Future of Black Owned Newspapers and Community Journalism

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Nearly half of Oregon’s media outlets are now owned by national conglomerates with no lasting investment in local communities. According to an OPB analysis, Oregon has lost more than 90 news jobs (and counting) in the past five years. These were reporters, editors and photographers covering school boards, investigating corruption and telling community stories, until their jobs were cut by out-of-state corporations.

Published

7 days ago

May 23, 2025

Oakland Post

By Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.
President and CEO, National Newspaper Publishers Association

For decades, The Skanner newspaper in Portland, the Portland Observer, and the Portland Medium have served Portland, Oregon’s Black community and others with a vital purpose: to inform, uplift and empower. But legislation now moving through the Oregon Legislature threatens these community news institutions—and others like them.

As President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), which represents more than 255 Black-owned media outlets across the United States—including historic publications like The Skanner, Portland Observer, and the Portland Medium—l believe that some Oregon lawmakers would do more harm than good for local journalism and community-owned publications they are hoping to protect.

Oregon Senate Bill 686 would require large digital platforms such as Google and Meta to pay for linking to news content. The goal is to bring desperately needed support to local newsrooms. However, the approach, while well-intentioned, puts smaller, community-based publications at a future severe financial risk.

We need to ask – will these payments paid by tech companies benefit the journalists and outlets that need them most? Nearly half of Oregon’s media outlets are now owned by national conglomerates with no lasting investment in local communities. According to an OPB analysis, Oregon has lost more than 90 news jobs (and counting) in the past five years. These were reporters, editors, and photographers covering school boards, investigating corruption, and telling community stories, until their jobs were cut by out-of-state corporations.

Legislation that sends money to these national conglomerate owners—without the right safeguards to protect independent and community-based outlets—rewards the forces that caused this inequitable crisis in the first place. A just and inclusive policy must guarantee that support flows to the front lines of local journalism and not to the boardrooms of large national media corporations.

The Black Press exists to fill in the gaps left by larger newsrooms. Our reporters are trusted messengers. Our outlets serve as forums for civic engagement, accountability and cultural pride. We also increasingly rely on our digital platforms to reach our audiences, especially younger generations—where they are.

We are fervently asking Oregon lawmakers to take a step back and engage in meaningful dialogue with those most affected: community publishers, small and independent outlets and the readers we serve. The Skanner, The Portland Observer, and The Portland Medium do not have national corporate parents or large investors. And they, like many smaller, community-trusted outlets, rely on traffic from search engines and social media to boost advertising revenue, drive subscriptions, and raise awareness.

Let’s work together to build a better future for Black-owned newspapers and community journalism that is fair, local,l and representative of all Oregonians.

Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., President & CEO, National Newspaper Publishers Association