Hayward’s Mayor, Councilmembers, Executive Team agree to take pay cuts

HAYWARD, Calif., Sept. 23, 2025-Facing a budgetary shortfall in the City's General Fund that pays for most municipal services, Hayward's Mayor, City Councilmembers and Executive Team have voluntarily agreed to take pay cuts through the end of the current fiscal year.

The Mayor and Councilmembers agreed to a salary cut and to forego a cost-of-living increase that together amount to a 6.5-percent reduction in pay for Fiscal Year 2026, which began on July 1. Meanwhile, the City's Executive Team, made up primarily of City department heads, agreed to a 4-percent reduction in pay for the fiscal year.

"The City's elected and executive leadership understand what needs to take place to protect services to the Hayward community and the jobs of those who provide these services," Interim City Manager Addleman said. "It is important that those actions start at the top with our elected and executive leadership."

Last month, Interim City Manager Addleman announced that the City of Hayward would hold vacant most unfilled staff positions to begin to bring the General Fund budget back into balance. In addition, the City is working to shore up the General Fund in other ways, including placing tighter limits on spending on employee training and use of professional consultants, assessing eligible City properties for sale and instituting tighter cash flow and payroll monitoring practices.

At the direction of the City Council, Interim City Manager Addleman plans to hire an independent fiscal analyst to review the City's budgetary performance in Fiscal Year 2025 and its fiscal controls and forecasting practices-as part of a longer-term plan to ensure the City's fiscal stability and sustainability.

In November, the Interim City Manager is scheduled to present to the City Council revisions to the City's current Fiscal Year 2026 budget, including additional reductions in expenses to bring General Fund spending back into balance with General Fund revenue.