As student enrollment and faculty numbers continue to change and budget challenges mount across California community colleges, an analysis by The Union shows disparities in pay for top administrators – even among institutions of similar size.

The analysis reviewed 2023 salary data for presidents and vice presidents at El Camino, Cerritos, Santa Monica, Long Beach City, San Diego City, Los Angeles Pierce, Riverside City and Antelope Valley colleges, as reported by Transparent California, a public pay and pension database.

At El Camino College, President Brenda Thames earned $345,171 in total pay in 2023, including $25,008 in other pay she received.

ECC is the sole institution of the El Camino Community College District.

Whereas, at Cerritos College – another single-college district, with comparable student enrollment numbers – President Jose Fierro received a total pay of $455,076 in 2023, including $63,096 in other pay.

His total compensation was 31.8% more than Thames’, making Fierro the highest-paid president among the eight colleges analyzed by The Union.

Presidential salaries at the other colleges were lower than Thames’ and Fierro’s pay. LBCC President Michael Muñoz earned $332,133, SDCC President Ricky Shabazz earned $289,629 and Pierce College President Aracely Aguiar earned $290,567.

Aguiar was interim president in 2023, as the data indicates. She became the permanent president of Pierce College on July 1, 2024, according to the Los Angeles Community College District.

SMC President Kathryn Jeffery received a total pay of $385,508 in 2023, which is 11.7% more than Thames’ compensation. Jeffery declined to comment on her salary.

Jeffery will remain under contract through June 2026, according to its terms.

These salary rates are comparable to those for positions outside of the community college system.

Mayor of Los Angeles Karen Bass had a total pay of $300,154 in 2023, while Governor Gavin Newsom made $201,553 in 2023, according to Transparent California.

The president of the United States makes $400,000 per year, as set by U.S. law in 2001.

However, at the University of California, Los Angeles, president Michael Drake made $976,325 in total pay in 2023, according to Transparent California.

Student leaders at ECC say that the student body can be indifferent to salaries.

“Confusion, if anything,” student trustee Wesley Marshall, 20, said. “A lot of our students aren’t used to seeing people they know making that much, but I think they get paid that because their roles are so critical.”

Zaynah Robb, president-elect of the Associated Students Organization, said that while students are aware of the differences in salaries, the focus should be on outcomes and how effectively campus leaders advocate for students.

“It’s something people recognize and definitely have their feelings about,” Robb, 20, political science major, said. “But I think it’s important we shift our views and look more at the actionable steps being taken for students.”

ECC Board of Trustees President Trisha Murakawa emphasized the hiring process.

“We worked with a search firm that helped draft the job description and managed the entire process with a stakeholder committee,” Murakawa said.

ECC follows a formal hiring process laid out in Administrative Procedure 2431.

The process includes the gathering of a Superintendent/President Search Committee, composed of faculty staff, students, administrators and community members according to the minutes of the Special Superintendent/President Search Committee Meeting.

Final candidates are interviewed by the Board of Trustees as they make the final decision in the hiring process.

Murakawa said that ECC’s vice president of Human Resources works closely with the search firm and the committee.

“Our goal as the Board of Trustees is governance and that’s very different,” Murakawa said. “We hire and evaluate our president, but we don’t do that for any other employee.”

She also noted that board members do not independently conduct salary research and that discussions held in closed sessions, including salary and contract negotiations, are legally confidential.

Trustees at ECC may earn as much as $4,800 per year, although they may also receive benefits, according to Transparent California.

ECC Director of Human Resources Maria Smith said that during the process of salary recommendation and salary studies with the search committee, all positions have a starting salary range, which depends on the experience in the position and the difficulty of the position.

Smith also added that salaries are benchmarked against similar single-district colleges, including Long Beach and Cerritos.

“It’s competitive to hire a college president,” Smith said.

On April 15, 2024, the Board approved a new contract extending Thames’ term through 2026. Her salary increased to Step 5 of the ECCCD Superintendent/President Salary Schedule.

In contrast, Dena Maloney, who retired in 2021 after five years as president of ECC, earned $268,333 in total pay in her final full year in 2020, this being 28.6% less than Thames now earns.

Maloney’s predecessor, Tom Fallo, who retired in 2015 after 20 years as president, earned $365,240 in total pay at the time – 5.8% more than Thames makes today.

Thames has held her role since July 1, 2021, receiving an increase from her previous role as president at West Hills College, Coalinga, where she made $220,500 in 2020.

Pay differences are also clear among vice presidents.

Job titles vary by campus, where vice presidents oversee different divisions such as academic affairs, student services or administrative services.

ECC Vice President of Academic Affairs Carlos Lopez earned $275,547 in total pay in 2023. His compensation is 19.6% more than Cerritos Vice President of Academic Affairs Frank Mixson, who earned $230,433.

Former Riverside Vice President of Student Services FeRita Perna Carter earned $271,328 in total pay in 2023. She became the interim president of Moreno Valley College in June 2024.

Carter’s compensation was 10% more than Cerritos VP of Student Services Robyn Brammer, who earned $246,610 in 2023.

At SMC, Vice President of Human Resources Sherri L. Lee-Lewis earned $299,844, 16.1% less than Cerritos VP of HR Mercedes Gutierrez, who earned $348,111, but 8.1% more than ECC VP of HR Jane Miyashiro, who earned $277,324.

While salary differences between colleges and positions like president and vice president are notable, public policy experts begin to wonder about how taxpayer dollars are being used.

“It’s a concern to see how high the salaries have become when taxpayers are really so beleaguered and cities and schools are struggling for revenue,” Susan Shelley, vice president of communications for the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, said.

ECC and the community college system will continue to be faced with questions about how colleges balance leadership costs with their missions to serve their students.

Editor’s note:

• This article was updated at 4:05 p.m. Monday, June 2, to add a salary comparison graphic.
• This article was updated at 4:13 p.m. Monday, June 2, to update the featured photo.