The San Diego City Council will receive a recommendation this week from the Salary Setting Commission to increase councilmembers’ salaries from $75,386 to $100,000 in July, and to $125,000 in July, 2009.

The Commission also voted to recommend an increase in the mayor’s salary, from $100,464 to $130,000 in July, and to $150,000 in July, 2009.

Commission President Deb Pedersdotter, an attorney, must submit the recommendation in a letter to the Council by Feb. 15. The commission voted Jan. 30 to recommend increasing the salaries.

It is up to the city council to adopt, modify, or ignore the recommendation by the 6-member organization, which meets every two years.

Commission member Robert Ottilie made a motion to increase salaries for the mayor and council to $250,000 and $200,000 respectfully, but that failed in a 2-3 vote. Ottilie then made a motion for an increase of $200,000 for the mayor and $165,000 for councilmembers, but that also failed in a 2-3 vote. One commission member was absent.

The vote to approve the 2008 salary increase passed with a 4-1 vote. The 2009 increases passed with a 3-2 vote. Voting in favor of the 2008 raise were Pedersdotter, Ottilie, Maureen Steiner and Jess San Roque.

Commissioner Mark McMahon voted against the 2008 raise and Steiner joined him in voting against the 2009 raise.

“I think this is shockingly low, but in the spirit of unanimity, I’ll support it,” said Ottilie, an attorney who ran for the City Council District 6 seat in 1987, but lost to Bruce Henderson.

Pam Hardy, the communications director for Council President Scott Peters said Peters didn’t take the last raise which passed in 2002, and his pay is $71,522. She said Peters has donated part of his salary to his district office budget for the last two years, so his take home pay is actually $40,747 before taxes.

Mayor Jerry Sanders has not accepted the full mayor’s salary of $100,464 since he was elected in 2005. He only accepts $36,000 annually, said his spokesman, George Biagi. Sanders, who served 26 years as a San Diego police officer and four years as police chief, may be eligible to collect a pension.

On Feb. 4, the city council voted to consider placing the issue of salary increases through another method on the June or November ballot. The issue will return to the council with possible ballot language later.

Elected officials in other cities and in San Diego have higher salaries. The San Francisco mayor receives $233,000 annually, and the city’s supervisors receive $90,720, according to the commission. Los Angeles councilmembers receive $149,160. San Diego County supervisors have their salaries tied in part to Superior Court judges’ salaries, and they receive $137,318.

The commission held several public hearings on the subject in January, and most speakers who attended urged the council not to recommend a salary increase.

“We decide nothing but a recommendation. The city council still has to decide it,” said Pedersdotter. “It will probably be ignored.”

The city council ignored the last two raises recommended by the commission, but it did approve a seven percent raise for 2002 and 2003.

“People run (for office) because they want to,” said Steiner. “I’ve never heard a person saying they are running for the salary. You do not get paid per hour.”

Pedersdotter and others said the mayor and councilmembers often work 17-hour days. Several said office holders have no privacy.

“I think it’s a horrible job, and I really admire anyone who does it well,” said Pedersdotter.