Santa Clara Pays City Manager $627,000 — Then Gives Him a Raise Without a Review

Jovan Grogan - Santa Clara City Manager

Santa Clara City Manager Jovan Grogan now receives approximately $627,000 a year in total compensation, including salary, benefits and pension-related costs.

His base salary alone is more than $430,000.

The latest increase was not tied to a completed performance review. It was triggered because the City Council failed to finish Grogan’s evaluation by the May 31 deadline required under his employment agreement.

That missed deadline automatically gave Grogan a 2 percent raise.

The increase was also retroactive. Grogan will receive approximately $994 in back pay.

City Attorney Glen Googins received the same automatic 2 percent increase after the Council failed to complete his performance review on time.

Googins’ total annual compensation is now estimated at approximately $567,000. He will receive about $2,280 in retroactive pay.

Together, Grogan and Googins cost Santa Clara taxpayers approximately $1.19 million annually in total compensation.

The City Council approved the updated salary plan on June 23 by a 6-1 vote.

Councilmembers Raj Chahal, Kelly Cox, Albert Gonzalez, Karen Hardy, Suds Jain and Kevin Park voted yes. Mayor Lisa Gillmor voted no.

The retroactive payments stand out because the Council recently denied retroactive pay to Santa Clara firefighters.

In April, firefighters received a new contract and salary increase. But retroactive pay failed on a 3-3 vote. Hardy, Jain and Park voted against it. Chahal was absent.

The result is straightforward: firefighters received raises without back pay. Santa Clara’s two highest-ranking appointed officials received raises, retroactive checks and no completed performance reviews.

The numbers raise a basic accountability question: Should Santa Clara’s highest-paid employees receive automatic raises when the City Council fails to evaluate their performance?

Residents deserve clear answers about how public money is spent and how the city measures performance at the top.

SOURCES:  Santa Clara City Records, Santa Clara News Online (June 30, 2026), Silicon Valley Voice (June 30, 2026)