Disgraced California city manager placed on paid leave after raunchy texting scandal just got a raise

A Bay Area city manager who has been on paid administrative leave amid a texting scandal and workplace discrimination complaints just scored a pay bump.

Brentwood City Manager G. Harold Duffey’s annual base salary is jumping roughly 3% — from $304,515 to about $313,650 — despite the fact that he has been on leave since June, according to The Mercury News.

The Brentwood City Council unanimously approved the increase Tuesday, with the raise taking effect July 16.

Duffey’s employment contract contains a so-called “compaction clause” requiring his salary to remain 5% higher than the highest-paid employee reporting directly to him, according to interim Human Resources Director Teresa Fairbanks.

That provision was triggered when Walter O’Grodnick became police chief on July 16 and the gap between his salary and Duffey’s narrowed to just 2%.

While the city manager’s paycheck got a boost, his future with the city remains up in the air.

Duffey has been on paid administrative leave since June, though city officials have not said whether the move stems from the controversial texts or separate allegations of gender-based discrimination.

The texting scandal erupted after Duffey’s former colleague in Oakland, City Administrator Jestin Johnson, abruptly resigned in May following the release of thousands of public records containing messages between city officials.

Among the messages were exchanges between Johnson and Duffey in which the two discussed female colleagues in suggestive terms.

In one 2024 exchange, Duffey described a woman official as having “got the old player mesmerized,” apparently referring to himself. Johnson replied that because he had to sit next to her, he had to “force myself to look into her eyes.”

Duffey also referred to another female official as his “kryptonite,” according to records.

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee blasted the messages at the time as “degrading and unprofessional” and said they were incompatible with her administration, according to the Contra Costa Pulse. 

Duffey, who previously served as Oakland’s assistant city administrator and public works director, left the city late last year and was hired by Brentwood in November.

But the controversy followed him.

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Less than two weeks after Johnson’s resignation, four Brentwood employee associations sent letters to the City Council raising what they called “serious concern” about Duffey and alleged gender-based discrimination in the workplace.

One anonymous male employee alleged he witnessed women being summoned with finger-waving and hand gestures that felt “degrading and dehumanizing.”

He also claimed there was a pattern of women being treated and spoken to differently and being expected to shoulder responsibilities that male colleagues were not.

Debra Galey, president of the Supervisors and Professionals Employees Association, separately urged the council to place Duffey on leave while an independent investigation into his alleged conduct was conducted.

The council ultimately voted unanimously to put Duffey on paid leave in June.

Brentwood Mayor Susannah Meyer stressed at the time that the decision was “not a final determination of any matter,” citing legal, privacy and due-process restrictions on discussing the situation, according to The Mercury News.

During Tuesday’s public comment period, resident Melissa van Ruiten urged council members to pump the brakes on Duffey’s raise until his employment status is resolved. But the pay bump sailed through anyway.

Meanwhile, Duffey’s own status remains unresolved.

He was scheduled for a performance evaluation during Tuesday’s closed session, but Meyer announced afterward that there was nothing to report.

Duffey can only be removed from his position through a voluntary resignation or termination by the City Council. Before landing in Brentwood, he served as city manager or administrator in Compton, Grand Terrace and Oroville. 

The California Post contacted Brentwood City Council and Duffey for comment.