MENDOCINO CO., 10/16/26 — Sara Pierce has run Mendocino County government as interim chief executive since July. On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors votes on whether to make the job hers for three years, at $275,000 a year, according to the meeting agenda.
Salary plus benefits would come to about $481,000 a year, the agenda said. The contract would run from Oct. 20, 2026, through Oct. 20, 2029, according to the agreement attached to the item.
Board chair Bernie Norvell and the Human Resources Department are listed as its sponsors. It needs a simple majority.
Pierce was the county’s assistant chief executive officer when the board named her interim chief on June 23, according to the board’s resolution. The vote was 4-1, with Supervisor Maureen Mulheren voting no, according to the county’s meeting record. The interim term began July 13. It was set to run six months, or until the board hired a permanent chief.
As interim chief, Pierce has been paid $202,716.80 a year, or $344,618 with benefits, according to the June 23 action. The new contract would raise her base pay by about $72,000, around 36%.
The board set the pay range for the permanent job on Sept. 1: $250,000 to $300,000 a year. At the top of that range, staff estimated salary and benefits at $510,000. That vote was 3-2, with Supervisors Ted Williams and John Haschak voting no, according to the county’s meeting record.
The $275,000 in Pierce’s contract lands in the middle of that range.
The county posted the job on May 22. The posting listed the closing date as “Continuous” and the salary as “DOE/DOQ,” depending on experience or qualifications.
The board met behind closed doors on the chief executive appointment on Oct. 7, according to that day’s agenda.
Before the October 2027 and October 2028 raises, the board must set written performance goals and review Pierce’s performance against them. If the board finds she met them or made satisfactory progress, she gets a cost-of-living raise of at least 2%. The board would review her every October.
Up to another 1% depends on revenue from certain county property, hotel room, franchise and sales taxes. If that revenue grows 3% to 4% in the first half of the fiscal year before a raise, compared with the same months a year earlier, she gets another 0.5%. If it grows 4% or more, she gets the full 1%. The raise tops out at 3%.
She would also get a $400 monthly car allowance, mileage for travel outside the county, and the benefits the county gives its other employees not represented by a union.
The job is at will. She has no right to due process before or after the county ends it, the agreement says.
Under the county code attached to the item, four of the five supervisors can remove the chief executive without notice. Otherwise, she is entitled to three months’ notice, or a simple majority can relieve her of her duties right away and put her on three months’ paid leave.
If the board and Pierce agree to part ways without cause, she would get three months’ base salary as severance, paid in a lump sum. Fired for cause, such as a felony conviction or misuse of public funds, she gets none.
The Board of Supervisors meets at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, in the board chambers, Room 1070, 501 Low Gap Road, Ukiah. The meeting can also be joined on Zoom.
Sarah’s not looking so good she looks tired already. Does she know something that the general public doesn’t know? Is she seeing the cracks deep from within and it concerns her? Does she expose the collision and corruption or does she continue with more the same? Hopefully the truth floats to the top and she blows the whistle on it all. Money isn’t everything sometimes integrity is worth far more. We can pray that Sarah will be a steward for truth and a good thing for our struggling communities. No outside candidate wanted to touch it with a 10-ft pole.
I see Sarah almost daily she looks fine. She doesn’t look tired or unhealthy whatsoever in person- they just posted a bad picture of her above. I also have a lot of belief in Sarah, and she has a lot of integrity. I wish her the best in her new role.
Exactly, and working with thid BOS will be a Herculean task, as evidenced by many things, the Cubbison fiasco initiated by Toxic Ted Williams, the damning state audit, etc,, etc,,,https://mendovoice.com/2025/12/state-audit-of-mendocino-county-finds-strained-finances-faulty-oversight/
Thank you for sharing those thoughts.
I believe they’re worth considering.
There are many following this.
Hope for the truth but expect otherwise.
I don’t see how they can justify paying that much money to anyone. Now they increase it by more than the median income of the entire county. It’s obvious to everyone but them as to why the county is in such bad financial shape. We are not Sonoma county, we are not Marin county. We don’t have anything remotely close to their tax base. Yet the powers that be insist government pay scale needs to compare to those counties. The same reasoning the the sups used for giving themselves their last big raise. Can’t they see this is not sustainable? The thing that is going to bury this county is it own self serving leaders. Meanwhile they ask for a never ending increase in fees and taxes, just to cover basic services. Enough is enough.
Was Human Resources ever really looking for an outside candidate? How much advertising did HR really do besides posting it on the county website? If the board planned to promote Pierce all along why not promote her in the initial recruiting if her skills and qualifications were the best out of all other candidates?
What suddenly made Pierce the best candidate versus everyone else who was evaluated months ago?
If the BOS approved a 6 month interim contract and some of the board members said they were looking for outside candidates, why not wait until December to promote Pierce and see if anyone with the qualifications they wanted applied during that time?
The county just wants someone who will keep their head down and look away from the same mismanaged departments (Including HR) and abusive supervisors no one will ever challenge.
I think HR’s dept head should be up front about what efforts her dept actually made to look for a new CEO. They’ll say she was “just under our nose” the whole time. Look how good of job Darcie did and guess who worked right alongside her.
Promote whoever you want internally in an interim position, well they’ve covered it good enough for three months, let’s give them a 3 year shot. No regular employee would get promoted like that. Nepotism much?
The board doesn’t want anyone with outside eyes looking at how the county is being run or has been run. The board, County counsel, and HR want someone who will stay silent, won’t rock the boat, and won’t have any of their own opinions or ideas. If you find someone docile enough, they’ll keep the status quo going. Look how well that has worked. Who was in charge in all of these main depts when all of the cubbison issues went down?
The County just tried to act like they were looking for someone else and conveniently approved a higher pay range just before deciding on Pierce.
What is the point in approving a higher range to attract more qualified candidates and then immediately deciding to promote the inside person?
I think the board and Cherie should tell people at the board meeting how Sarah was the best candidate over all other people who applied in both rounds. If she wanted the job and was the best candidate, why was she not selected on the first round?
Or did they just give up and promote who they planned to all along?
I would think at a base salary of $275k they could afford their own vehicle. A $400/monthly stipend seems ridiculous.
I would think at a base salary of $275k they could afford their own vehicle. A $400/monthly stipend seems ridiculous.
Agreed 💯
What are her qualifications besides working as an assistant. The county is paying this person more than doctors, attorneys & other local CEO. And why does that position get pay raises when all the rest of the staff do not get cost of living raises? What is wrong with this picture.
Disgusting and corrupt. Heads on Pikes