By Robert Campbell
In early 2025, the Housing Authority (the San Diego City Council) voted to “right-size” the compensation of the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) CEO Lisa Jones, pushing her total compensation package toward $400,000 annually – credit to Council members von Wilpert and Campillo who were the only members to see the hypocrisy of the motion and voted no.
Meanwhile, in 2026, the city’s poorest residents are being forced to “right-size” their survival as the Section 8 waiting list which has grown to over 76,000 people has been officially closed.
The inequity is staggering. Under the Baker v. San Diego settlement, the city committed to stronger oversight and greater fairness in its housing programs because the SDHC has been concentrating poverty in Low Resource, Environmentally Burdened areas of the City.
Yet today, to bridge a massive multi-million-dollar funding deficit, the SDHC requires “work-able” families to contribute 40% of their income toward rent. If we applied this same standard of “shared sacrifice” to Jones, her personal housing budget would be $13,333 of her $33,300 salary per month, enough to finance a multimillion-dollar home in an exclusive enclave of San Diego. The person in charge of affordable housing in San Diego, a public employee, makes more than the mayor.
It is time to codify a simple rule of public service. In a city facing fiscal crisis and structural deficits, no public official should be compensated more than 200% of the Area Median Income (AMI) for a family of four. In San Diego, where the 2025 AMI for a family of four is approximately $130,800 per year, a 200% cap would limit executive pay to roughly $261,600 annually which is still more than the mayor of California’s second largest city.
Claims that we must pay “market rates” to attract talent are unfounded. There is no shortage of principled, committed professionals ready to serve at a more reasonable salary should Jones or any other executive choose to step aside.
San Diego cannot solve its housing or budget crisis by rewarding administrators while squeezing the vulnerable. Equity requires leadership that refuses to maintain a $400,000 taxpayer funded salary for a public employee while stripping away the floor from working families.
Before the City Council adds another parking meter, cuts funding for another library, park, or front-line employee, it should first consider a serious cut, and an enforceable cap on public-sector executive pay at no more than 200% of AMI (for a family of 4), adjusted annually. Public service is a service. It’s time we returned the principle of service.
Campbell is a volunteer community planner and health care executive who lives in Encanto.
The “job” the SDHC has done, clearly showing concentration of affordable housing in Lower Resource Areas of the City.
There’s no government position worth 400k a year. Government jobs are meant to attract people who wish to perform a civic duty. There’s an element of sacrifice involved.
This is just another example of the continually growing wage gap, leading to the continually growing wealth gap, in the US.
Fifty years ago, the average earnings of the top paid executive was about 20-30 times the lowest paid worker. Today, it is closer to 200-600 times higher, unless you are looking at companies like Starbucks and Amazon, where it is closer to 6,000 times higher.
Great article Rob!
I’d love to see this salary cut and to have funds used in a emergency rent program to pay a months rent to the working poor at risk of being unhoused.
So many are just one car repair, or one illness without sick leave, away from being unhoused.