Government attorneys employed by the city of Fresno recently received raises — to the detriment of taxpayers, according to an attorney who previously worked in the office.

Mary Doidge handled land use law for the city for 10 years until she left the job in 2023. Her separation is now the subject of a discrimination lawsuit in federal court.

She said newcomers brought into the office by City Attorney Andrew Janz have led to unmerited raises across the board, calling them “inflated.”

“It’s taxpayer money. These attorneys are now making exorbitant amounts of money for what they actually do,” Doidge said.

Janz justified the raises, saying the “equity adjustments” were necessary to keep salaries competitive.

“When represented paralegals or support staff have higher or similar salaries than attorneys, then adjustments need to be made,” Janz told GV Wire.

City Attorney Salaries

The city council establishes the pay range for attorneys — classified as nonunion represented employees — allowing raises “at the discretion of the city attorney.”

Several attorneys signed new contracts in November that were posted on the city’s website. Combined with data Doidge said she received through a Public Records Act request — and shared with GV Wire — the increased compensation totals at least $330,000 for 18 attorneys. The raises ranged from 4% to 29%. Most also received a promotion.

“This is all at the whim of the city attorney, which is fine if you have a city attorney with integrity, but that’s not the case,” Doidge said. “It just doesn’t pass the sniff test.”

The Fresno City Council hired Janz in 2022. He previously worked as a prosecutor in the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office.

Janz is one of two department heads directly controlled by the city council, with the city clerk being the other. The city council approved a 12% raise for Janz to $285,000 in 2025.

At the time of Janz’s raise in February, City Manager Georgeanne White told the council the upcoming budget “has nothing for salary increases.”

This year, Janz hired several former prosecutors from the district attorney’s office, including Ashley Paulson. She was hired at a salary of $230,000, according to her contract posted on the city’s website.

The new attorneys from the DA’s office, Doidge said, did not have adequate municipal law experience.

“He personally knew them and was paying them more than attorneys who had been at the office for years,” Doidge said. “When you get down to it, it’s a waste of taxpayer dollars.”

The city council approved a $31.5 million budget in June for the City Attorney’s Office. Of that total, $22 million is allocated for personnel, including a staff of 76 attorneys and legal support employees in the legal proceedings unit.

Attorneys are not represented by a union, but support staff are represented by the City of Fresno Professional Employees Association.

Rick Steitz, a business agent for CFPEA, said legal secretaries and support staff recently received a 4.5% raise as negotiated with the city.

“I would think any increase for the attorneys would be much higher. Any increase higher than a 2.5% cost-of-living increase will only breed discontent and resentment among support staff, as the cost of living is the same for all employees. However, the city could somewhat defend a larger increase as a salary adjustment,” Steitz said.

Fresno City Council President Mike Karbassi had no objections to the raises.

“We don’t micromanage the City Attorney’s Office. We trust the city attorney as a manager to make those decisions,” Karbassi said. “It’s very important to us that, like any department, he operates in the black and not the red.”

Stermer the Last Straw

Doidge said she went public after City Clerk Todd Stermer left last month for a similar job in Sacramento County. The city council appointed Amy Aller as interim clerk in November.

Aller joined the City Attorney’s Office in June after 10 years as a prosecutor in the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office. Her initial pay was $191,000. She now earns $230,000 as interim clerk.

“The last straw for me was the city clerk. It’s just so blatant and in your face and out there that Todd left to go to Sacramento County because the city council wouldn’t give him a raise. And then they turn around and appoint Janz’s friend for $80,000 more when she has no clerk experience. So it just disgusts me,” Doidge said.

Stermer earned $153,716 prior to his departure. His new salary in Sacramento is $206,106.

Karbassi said the city council “borrowed” Aller from Janz’s office as an interim. Her new salary is within the city clerk range.

“We wanted someone who we felt has experience working with the council, in a different dynamic, and has the professional experience to run that department for the interim period with a short noticing time. I think Amy has done a very good job so far,” Karbassi said.

Aller declined comment because of the pending litigation. Stermer did not return messages.

Doidge Files Lawsuit

Doidge filed a lawsuit against the city in June 2024 in federal court, alleging the city discriminated against her based on her mental health disability and then retaliated after she complained.

The case is pending. The city filed a motion for summary judgment on Dec. 22. An outside firm, Val Verde-based Sethi Orchid Miner, is defending the city.

“I won’t comment on the pending litigation involving the disgruntled employee — the pleadings will speak for themselves,” Janz said.

Doidge explained why she filed the lawsuit.

“I just wanted to file the lawsuit so that it’s public. If anyone looks up or sees how Andrew Janz manages or runs an office — since this is his first time ever doing it — this will come up and people will know,” Doidge said.

The city, in its legal filing, cited Doidge’s deposition testimony that “no one made a disparaging remark” about her disability, taking leave, filing a complaint or her gender.

“There is simply a dearth of evidence to establish retaliatory animus,” the city’s response said.

Quit Voluntarily or Forced?

Doidge and the city have differing views on what led to her departure in December 2023. She said she was forced to quit — a constructive discharge. The city said she quit voluntarily to pursue a new job.

“Acceptance of a voluntary resignation is not an adverse employment action,” the city’s filing said.

The city said Doidge was seeking a job elsewhere months before she quit.

Lawsuit: Retaliation for Medical Leave

The lawsuit centers on Doidge’s relationship with her supervisor, Raj Badhesha, whom Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed as a Fresno County judge in 2024.

Both parties said Doidge and Badhesha initially had a positive relationship — he was invited to her wedding, and she provided hand-me-down baby clothes.

Things changed when Doidge returned from knee surgery in March 2023. She also had to switch offices because of a water leak.

“He was a very different person,” Doidge said.

The lawsuit described a phone call about her work situation as “hostile, rude and aggressive.” She hung up on him. He later told her that was unprofessional behavior. Doidge then filed a harassment claim against Badhesha.

The two also clashed over new flex work and leave policies. Doidge claimed Badhesha applied policies to her but not others. She took a three-month medical leave for stress and anxiety.

Doidge said the city denied her requests for reasonable accommodations when she returned in July 2023. The city, in its legal response, said it allowed Doidge to take time off if her anxiety flared up and to seclude herself in her office without interruption when needed.

Following the denial, Doidge said the city retaliated by singling her out for policy violations and by awarding her a lower salary increase compared with her peers, according to the lawsuit.

Doidge said she was assigned lesser duties, such as covering night meetings for the planning commission — jobs usually assigned to attorneys with less experience. She refused because of child care issues, which she said the city used against her.

She said she received a negative performance review as retaliation and did not receive a raise in the 5% to 12% range. The city, in court filings, disagreed. In July 2023, she received a “usually meets expectation” rating and a $5,000 raise — approximately 3%.

Doidge took another three-month leave in August. She returned in November, but left for good on Dec. 1, 2023. During her time off, the city said she applied for 30 jobs, and actually accepted a job with the state.

She now works as an attorney for the state Housing and Community Development office and remains in Fresno.

Because of his position as a judge, Badhesha said he could not comment on the lawsuit.