Downey City Council approves $337K salary for city manager, after $17K raise
DOWNEY, CA — Just in case anyone was worried the city manager might only be making almost as much as the police chief, the Downey City Council approved a pay increase to fix that.
The council voted unanimously on June 23 voted to raise City Manager Roger Bradley's annual salary from about $319,807 to $337,122—an increase of roughly $17,315, or 5.41%.
After Human Resources Director James McQueen presented the staff report, Mayor Claudia Frometa asked whether any councilmembers had questions. None appeared interested in asking any before unanimously approving the raise.
City staff estimate the salary adjustment will increase General Fund spending by approximately $22,134 during the 2026-27 fiscal year. The staff report does not provide a detailed breakdown of how that figure was calculated.
The staff report does say that the increase is intended to preserve the 5% pay differential outlined in Bradley's employment agreement.
The agreement, approved in December 2024, states that it is the City's intention to keep the city manager's salary 5% higher than the next highest-paid city employee. Because the police chief is scheduled to receive a 5.25% cost-of-living increase on July 1, Bradley's salary would otherwise fall below that threshold.
Bradley's employment agreement also provides a city vehicle, a city-issued cellphone, a $10,000 annual retirement contribution, executive-level benefits, and severance protections if he is terminated without cause.
State law requires the City Council to publicly disclose proposed salary changes for top executives before voting on them. The changes must be orally reported and the votes must be taken in open meetings.
As the city's chief executive officer, Bradley oversees the city's day-to-day operations, directs its administrative departments and personnel, prepares and administers the annual budget, advises the City Council on the city's finances and future needs, and carries out council policies and other duties assigned by the council.
Bradley was appointed Downey's city manager in March 2023, marking his first appointment as a city manager. Before coming to Downey, he served as assistant city manager for the City of Corona and was previously the Assistant County Administrative Officer for Kings County.
