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In a surprise move to anyone watching City of Berkeley politics, City Manager Dee Williams-Ridley resigned (as reported on Berkeleyside) one hour after the scheduled City Council Closed Session with one agenda item: city manager evaluation.  

Brushing aside public performance concerns In November 2021, the City Council under the recommendation of Mayor Jesse Arreguin awarded Williams-Ridley a 28% raise of $84,732 to the new annualized salary of $386,160 making Berkeley’s City Manager the fourth highest paid city administrator in the San Francisco Bay Area.  

Of the thirteen cities surveyed for salary comparisons, Berkeley rated 13th in area (10.5 square miles) and 11th in population (124,321). The highest paid administrator in the survey was the Contra Costa County Administrator at $393,216 with an area of 716 square miles and a population of 1,165,927.  

In the recent months, Berkeley has had an unusual number of very visible resignations. Councilmembers Rigel Robinson and Kate Harrison resigned. Liam Garland, Director of Public Works resigned. Farid Javandel, Transportation Division Manager left in 2023 after the Hopkins Corridor Project fell apart.  

Williams-Ridley’s last day is reported as being July 10, 2024.