(ROSEVILLE, Calif.) – On the night that Trevor Robinson-Wong decided to stand up against Measure A, he was at a friend's house. Though he was “tired” after work, he still made plans “to eat, talk politics, and play video games.” As he waited for his friend, Robinson-Wong read the news and felt drawn towards Measure A.
“I felt particularly passionate about how out of touch and poorly thought out the raise was,” he recounted. This was especially true “given current economic conditions, the political climate, and the disparity in how [the council] had just previously (3 months earlier) handled the wages of part-time employees at the City of Roseville.”
Roseville's Measure A is a ballot measure in the city that would increase the rate of pay for city council members to 325% of its current rate of $600 per month. Proponents of the measure and an “impartial analysis” by the city attorney state that the council has not received reimbursement compensation since the year 2000, during which time Roseville has grown tremendously. With the growth of the city has come an increase in the responsibilities of the council.
The city also said that council members do not receive benefits.
According to Robinson-Wong, the measure and its rationale are not as cut and dry as they appear, and his opposition to Measure A has attracted attention from OpGov.News and other media outlets.
He has also created a website opposing the measure and has been featured by Deflock Roseville, an organization that he said he was not a part of.
Photo Credit: Vote No on Measure A / Website / An image taken from homepage of the website created by Trevor Robinson-Wong.
While Robinson-Wong has been seen as a voice against the ballot measure, OpGov.News found that his story is bigger than this. It offers a glimpse into how everyday people can be active in local politics and what that may look like.
OpGov.News has previously reported on Measure A, both in summary, and in comparison to minimum wage increases during the same time period. But Robinson-Wong's stance regarding the proposed compensation rate is not about minimum wage disparity, but rather the disparity between Roseville city employees, like himself, and the city’s leaders.
“What I know is it is not fair for the Council to ask voters to approve a 325% raise for themselves while the rest of us are not afforded such luxuries,” Robinson-Wong told OpGov.News.
Robinson-Wong pointed out that “being a City Councilmember is a part-time job.” He also noted that health insurance can be difficult for city employees to afford. He said that “active medical coverage offered through the City remains unaffordable for my pay level,” and stated that others he knew were “in need of medical help…[but] were unable to get it or acquire it during their time working for the city.”
Robinson-Wong said that while he is “appreciative of what the Council had done in raising salary schedules roughly 5 to 10% for many of us,” he still “knew many workers who had been left behind by the adjustments for various reasons or [were] undercut.”
According to Robinson-Wong, the matter of wages and income raises can be complicated, explaining that his job classification has changed multiple times and that he has “an array of job titles.” While he listed four job titles that fit his duties, he determined that the most accurate was “Customer Service Specialist.”
But, while Robinson-Wong is in the city nearly every day, his residence is in neighboring Antelope, a fact he said he has been “very open” about. Though living outside of the jurisdiction of the City of Roseville, the city employee said that he is in Roseville “7 days a week most weeks” and is closely connected to the Roseville community.
“Some have taken issue with me speaking up on this issue,” he told OpGov.News, but “As someone who works for the City, commutes into Roseville, and loves the City, I believe my views are relevant.”
As Robinson-Wong juggled numerous responsibilities and saw his colleagues “undercut,” Measure A rose into prominence in local elections. That, he said, left him feeling “miffed.” He explained that while people he knew “were overlooked” by the city, “the Council was able to put a 325% raise for themselves on the ballot.”
This feeling of being “miffed” reinvigorated him. When discussing this period, Robinson-Wong said, “I got inspired, felt passionate, and thought I could say something about it.”
Following this epiphany, Robinson-Wong made a plan to speak during the public comments portion of the October 7 Roseville City Council meeting to share his views with the public. He said that he was “moving stuff around right up until the meeting time.”
While he felt “pretty confident” about being able to make the speech before council, he had “a brief moment of hesitation” in the parking garage just before the council meeting. He was about to address the leadership of the very city that employed him. Nervous, he “read something of personal meaning” to inspire him, “and found enough courage to walk in there, fill out a yellow comment card, and wait my turn.”
“I was lucky to draw going second,” he said.
Photo Credit: City of Roseville / No on Measure A Website / A digitally enhanced Robinson-Wong speaking on October 7 with a crowd behind him.
Since then, Robinson-Wong has been a vocal opponent of Measure A, also speaking at the council meeting on October 21. He said that he “spent roughly 2 days…preparing, practicing, and editing” for the second council meeting, and that “it was much easier…than the first one.”
But the fact remains that the Roseville City Council has not received a compensation increase in almost three decades, one of the primary arguments in favor of the measure.
Robinson-Wong acknowledged this, but said that it did not necessarily justify the increase that Measure A calls for. He said that “in an ideal world,” he would support “a per diem based system” for city councilmembers. He also stated that council compensation should be “much closer to the actual inflation increases since 2000,” which he cited as 95% at the October 21 council meeting.
He also suggested that there should be “a more fleshed out” statement of council members’ “duties and expectations.”
Beyond compensation figures, Robinson-Wong sees the issue as part of a broader conversation about the inadequacies of the city council. He told OpGov.News that there are “serious changes” that need to be made by the council, who he claimed have been “shutting down public debate, refusing to engage with residents and hear them out, not being responsive, and not actively trying to solve the problems of this community.”
“Until those issues are resolved, I see compensation increases as one of the sole bargaining chips that voters have over Council.”
When asked if there was anything else he would like to say, Robinson-Wong emphasized the importance of everyday people speaking their minds in the public arena, even if their opinions might be unpopular.
“Everyone has a right to be heard,” he said, “The moment we stop speaking up is the moment we forget why government exists in the first place.”
Measure A will be decided upon by voters in Roseville during the November 3 election.
To add to or correct any information in this report, please contact me at robert.m@lead4earth.org or leave a comment below with your thoughts.
Photo Credit: Linkedin / Trevor Robinson-Wong / Robinson-Wong speaking before the Roseville City Council.
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