Percentages don't mean much without knowing what the starting dollar amount is and how they compare with similar departments.

Pleasanton police: Web Link

None of these percentage numbers cited by the City mean anything without the context of showing whether Pleasanton indeed does pay less than other comparable cities with which we must compete for quality officers. As an example, the City could be offering 50% increases, which certainly would sound like a lot; however, if that hypothetical 50% increase still left Pleasanton's police salaries below the top tier, we still would lose quality individuals and still would not be able to attract other quality individuals. In other words, what really matters is not how the cited percentage increases may sound in a vacuum, what matters is how we stack up against those other cities that are enticing our officers to leave Pleasanton. We definitely should not be below the median and, in fact, I believe Pleasanton should be near the top if we truly want the best police department, one that attracts and retains the best people and one that does not have the currently unacceptable level of vacancies. What is more important than that?

Agree with others - percentages are meaningless without context. Apparently spending over 10 million on a skate park and century house refurbishment is more important than paying our police officers a competitive wage. Our City Council really needs to readdress the priorities. Mayor Brown are you listening?