Transparent California Releases 2014 Salary Data for California State and University Employees
For Immediate Release
July 14, 2015
California Policy Center
Contact: Robert Fellner
(201) 206-6469
Transparent California Releases 2014 Salary Data for California State and University Employees
Average State compensation package is $110,663; Average CSU compensation is $103,864
TUSTIN — Today, TransparentCalifornia.com released previously unseen 2014 salary and benefits data for 240,531 California State and 62,540 California State University (CSU) employees.
The average compensation package for full-time, year-round California State employees was $110,663, with 91,944 employees earning at least $100,000 in total compensation. Full-time, year-round employees are defined as those receiving a base salary of equal or greater than the “annual salary minimum” associated with their position.
The highest earner was Theodore H Eliopoulos, who earned $856,543 as chief investment officer for CalPERS.
The next three highest earners were:
- Curtis D Ishii – senior investment officer for CalPERS made $757,063.
- Eric B Baggesen – senior investment officer for CalPERS made $755,182.
- Timothy P Foley – dentist at Fairview State Hospital made $710,917.
Foley’s pay was boosted by a lump sum payout of just under $350,000, most likely coming from cashing in unused vacation or sick leave. John Dupre, a staff psychiatrist at San Quentin state prison, had the largest lump sum payout of any state employee, receiving just under $460,000.
The top 10 departments with the highest average earnings, for those with at least 500 employees, are displayed below:
Average 2014 Compensation by State Department
| Department | Average Compensation | Count |
| California Highway Patrol | $152,799 | 9,682 |
| Court Of Appeal | $137,085 | 575 |
| Judicial Council | $128,376 | 601 |
| Corrections And Rehabilitation | $127,444 | 38,362 |
| Forestry And Fire Protection | $126,839 | 4,889 |
| Air Resources Board | $124,933 | 1,048 |
| Water Resources | $123,572 | 2,381 |
| Corrections And Rehabilitation/CCHCS | $118,668 | 2,413 |
| Water Resources Control Board | $117,478 | 1,376 |
| Dept Of State Hospitals | $113,899 | 7,271 |
California State University
The average compensation for CSU employees was $103,864. The top earner was Zarin Mehta, co-executive director of the Green Music Center at Sonoma State, who made $596,957 in 2014.
The next three highest earners were:
- Timothy P White – Chancellor of CSU made $497,854.
- Jeffrey D Armstrong – President of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo made $459,593.
- Elliot L Hirshman – President of San Diego State University made $458,015.
The average compensation for all 21 presidents in CSU was $416,321. The top 10 highest compensated positions, for those with at least 100 employees, are displayed below:
Average 2014 CSU Compensation by Job Title
| Job Title | Average Compensation | Count |
| Administrator IV | $225,758 | 473 |
| Administrator III | $163,788 | 1001 |
| Department Chair – 12 Month | $157,357 | 350 |
| Instructional Faculty – 12 Month | $148,750 | 161 |
| Department Chair – Academic Year | $146,773 | 254 |
| Instructional Faculty – Academic Year | $123,539 | 7319 |
| Police Officer | $123,115 | 133 |
| Administrator II | $120,261 | 1515 |
| Analyst/Programmer -12 | $113,969 | 511 |
| Librarian – 12 Month | $112,079 | 177 |
Ed Ring, executive director of the California Policy Center remarked that, “It is unsurprising that the California Highway Patrol has the highest compensation of any department in the state, given their extremely lucrative pension benefits that are now costing taxpayers a record high 43.5 percent of payroll.” Ring went on to say that, “despite misleading promises that these pension enhancements would cost taxpayers nothing, the exact opposite happened.”
To view the entire report in a searchable and downloadable format, visit TransparentCalifornia.com.
To schedule an interview with California Policy Center executive director Ed Ring, please contact Robert Fellner at 201 206-6469 or Robert@CalPolicyCenter.org.
Transparent California is California’s largest and most comprehensive database of public sector compensation and is a project of two nonpartisan, free-market think tanks, the California Policy Center and Nevada Policy Research Institute. Learn more at TransparentCalifornia.com.
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