California Policy Center

Press Releases

by California Policy Center

December 22, 2014

Transparent California Releases Compensation Data for 405 cities and 826 Special Districts Statewide

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sacramento, California, December 22, 2014

Contact: press@calpolicycenter.org; media contact Jordan Bruneau, 916-258-2396

Greater Los Angeles Municipal Employees Earned Average of $119,000 in 2013

TUSTIN – Today, Transparent California released previously unseen 2013 public employee compensation data – complete with names, pay, and benefits – for 405 cities and 826 special districts statewide on TransparentCalifornia.com, the state’s largest public sector compensation database.

The data show that average full-time compensation for employees of 143 Greater Los Angeles cities was $119,431 in 2013, with thousands earning more than $200,000 a year and thousands more making at least $50,000 in overtime alone.

City of Los Angeles employees are not included in the average, because while LA employee pay data are now on Transparent California, LA didn’t provide the cost of the health or pension benefits provided to its employees. In the nearby City of Orange, the cost of benefits for a full-time employee is $30,573. Excluding the cost of benefits, the average LA government employee made $91,792 in pay.

Such compensation is significantly higher than that of peers in the private sector.

To view the comprehensive compensation database for municipal employees of Greater Los Angeles and the rest of California – as well as for special districts like fire and water – click here.

Other notable 2013 Greater Los Angeles findings include:

3,970 Greater Los Angeles municipal employees earned at least $200,000.
Scott D. Watson, Garden Grove Master Reserve Officer, earned $535,959.
Johnny A. Baltazar, Los Angeles Police Officer, earned $500,930.
Rodney S. Gould, Santa Monica City Manager, earned $483,954.
- 2,099 Greater Los Angeles municipal employees earned at least $50,000 in overtime alone.
- Donn D. Thompson, Los Angeles Firefighter, made $242,033 in overtime and $354,259 in total compensation.
- Charles F. Ferrari, Los Angeles Fire Captain, made $240,229 in overtime and $367,293 in total compensation.
- Martin Enriquez, Los Angeles Fire Captain, made $222,766 in overtime and $351,642 in total compensation.

Notable 2013 statewide findings include:

Average full-time municipal employee compensation statewide was $120,674.
Average full-time municipal employee compensation for other regions in California was:
- North Bay: $130,172
- South Bay: $141,739
- Greater Sacramento: $109,785
- Central Valley: $99,433
- Greater San Diego: $114,329
- Northern California: $108,269
- Central Coast: $111,613
- 10,675 municipal employees took home over $200,000 with 3,581 making over $50,000 in overtime.

Notable 2013 special district findings include:

Average full-time special district employee compensation was $106,592.
Average full-time special district compensation for the top five districts were:
- San Ramon Valley Fire Protection: $245,624
- Rodeo-Hercules Fire Protection District: $237,424
- Montecito Fire Protection: $214,363
- Woodside Fire Protection District: $211,998
- Central County Fire Department: $208,583

“Los Angeles civil servants averaging $119,000 a year in compensation means that the term civil servant is no longer appropriate,” said Mark Bucher, president of the California Policy Center. “Meanwhile, comparable workers in the private sector have seen their compensation stagnate as an ever-greater amount of their take home pay is diverted to fund these lavish government compensation packages.”

Transparent California also released summary pages for individual cities and counties, which include median government employee and cost per resident. Those pages are available by going to a city or county page and clicking the “View Summary” link.

Transparent California is the largest database of California public employee and retiree compensation with names and now contains over 7.7 million records.

Greater San Diego Municipal Employees Earned Average of $114,000 in 2013

The data show that average full-time compensation for employees of 16 Greater San Diego cities was $114,329 in 2013, with hundreds earning more than $200,000 a year and hundreds more making at least $50,000 in overtime alone.

City of San Diego employees are not included in the average, because while San Diego employee pay data are now on Transparent California, San Diego didn’t provide the cost of pension benefits provided to its employees. In the nearby City of Chula Vista, the cost of benefits for a full-time employee is $34,199. Excluding the cost of benefits, the average San Diego government employee made $73,881 in pay.

Such compensation is significantly higher than that of peers in the private sector.

To view the comprehensive compensation database for municipal employees of Greater San Diego and the rest of California – as well as for special districts like fire and water – click here.

Other notable 2013 Greater San Diego findings include:

204 Greater San Diego municipal employees earned at least $200,000.
Penny Riley, Poway City Manager, earned $345,255.
James Sandoval, Chula Vista City Manager, earned $338,182.
Williford H. Douglas, El Cajon City Manager, earned $325,978.
- 337 Greater San Diego municipal employees earned at least $50,000 in overtime alone.
- Edward A. Cormode, San Diego Firefighter, made $183,347 in overtime and $228,105 in total compensation, excluding pension contributions.
- Jeff T. Gantz, San Diego Fire Engineer, made $158,089 in overtime and $223,791 in total compensation, excluding pension contributions.
- Gary S. Emerson, San Diego Fire Engineer, made $155,925 in overtime and $211,386 in total compensation, excluding pension contributions.

North SF Bay Municipal Employees Earned Average of $130,000 in 2013

The data show that average full-time compensation for employees of 55 North Bay cities was $130,172 in 2013, with thousands earning more than $200,000 a year and hundreds more earning more than $50,000 in overtime alone. Such compensation is significantly higher than that of peers in the private sector.

To view the comprehensive compensation database for municipal employees of the North Bay and the rest of California – as well as for special districts like fire and water – click here.

Other notable 2013 North Bay findings include:

2,006 North Bay municipal employees earned at least $200,000.
Walter Shuld, San Pablo Police Chief, earned $440,983.
Malcolm E. Miller, Oakland Police Officer, earned $436,256.
George R. Silva, Hayward Battalion Chief, earned $428,457.
- 488 North Bay municipal employees earned at least $50,000 in overtime alone.
- Angel Bobo, Richmond Fire Captain,, made $279,105 in overtime and $508,893 in total compensation.
- Marc Palechek, Richmond Fire Captain, made $241,578 in overtime and $450,942 in total compensation.
- Stanley Eng, Vallejo Police Corporal, made $221,073 in overtime and $425,660 in total compensation.

South SF Bay Municipal Employees Earned Average of $142,000 in 2013

The data show that average full-time compensation for employees of 38 South Bay cities was $141,739 in 2013, with thousands earning more than $200,000 a year and hundreds more earning more than $50,000 in overtime alone. Such compensation is significantly higher than that of peers in the private sector.

To view the comprehensive compensation database for municipal employees of the South Bay and the rest of California – as well as for special districts like fire and water – click here.

Other notable 2013 South Bay findings include:

2,743 South Bay municipal employees earned at least $200,000.
Susan Loftus, San Mateo City Manager, earned $567,106.
Gary M. Luebbers, Sunnyvale City Manager, earned $430,066.
Debra J. Figone, San Jose City Manager, earned $415,281.
- 237 South Bay municipal employees earned at least $50,000 in overtime alone.
- Daniel P. Guerra, San Jose Police Officer, made $132,105 in overtime and $336,232 in total compensation.
- Lanty G. Molloy Jr., Millbrae Fire Captain, made $128,296 in overtime and $304,790 in total compensation.
- Hector M. Vasquez, San Jose Police Officer, made $124,553 in overtime and $326,637 in total compensation.

Greater Sacramento Municipal Employees Earned Average of $110,000 in 2013

The data show that average full-time compensation for employees of 26 Greater Sacramento cities was $109,785 in 2013, with hundreds earning more than $200,000 a year and over 70 making at least $50,000 in overtime alone. Such compensation is significantly higher than that of peers in the private sector.

To view the comprehensive compensation database for municipal employees of Greater Sacramento and the rest of California – as well as for special districts like fire and water – click here.

Other notable 2013 South Bay findings include:

319 Greater Sacramento municipal employees earned at least $200,000.
Brita J. Bayless, Roseville City Attorney, earned $362,433.
Henry Tingle, Citrus Heights City Manager, earned $360,098.
Raymond J. Kerridge, Roseville City Manager, earned $356,208.
- 73 Sacramento municipal employees earned at least $50,000 in overtime alone.
- Jeffrey Alan Ivy, Sacramento Fire Engineer, made $127,280 in overtime and $249,770 in total compensation.
- Gregory L. Quick, Sacramento Fire Captain, made $119,863 in overtime and $270,253 in total compensation.
- Chad Paul Chase, Sacramento Firefighter, made $118,064 in overtime and $240,851 in total compensation.

Central Valley Municipal Employees Earned Average of $99,000 in 2013

The data show that average full-time compensation for employees of 46 Central Valley cities was $99,433 in 2013, with hundreds earning more than $200,000 a year and over 35 making at least $50,000 in overtime alone. Such compensation is significantly higher than that of peers in the private sector.

To view the comprehensive compensation database for municipal employees of Central Valley and the rest of California – as well as for special districts like fire and water – click here.

Other notable 2013 Central Valley findings include:

220 Central Valley municipal employees earned at least $200,000.
Alan Tandy, Bakersfield City Manager, earned $339,185.
Robert E. Deis, Stockton City Manager, earned $327,084.
Andria L. Goodspeed, Tracy Police Officer, earned $326,359.
- 38 Central Valley municipal employees earned at least $50,000 in overtime alone.
- Greg J. Jouroyan, Fresno Police Officer, made $93,190 in overtime and $215,056 in total compensation.
- Youn B. Seraypheap, Stockton Police Officer, made $85,765 in overtime and $221,877 in total compensation.
- Kay Dunkel, Ceres Administrative Analyst, made $68,295 in overtime and $161,700 in total compensation.

Northern California Municipal Employees Earned Average of $108,000 in 2013

The data show that average full-time compensation for employees of 20 Northern California cities was $108,269 in 2013, with many earning more than $200,000 a year and many others making at least $50,000 in overtime alone. Such compensation is significantly higher than that of peers in the private sector.

To view the comprehensive compensation database for municipal employees of Northern California and the rest of California – as well as for special districts like fire and water – click here.

Other notable 2013 Northern California findings include:

95 Northern California municipal employees earned at least $200,000.
Brian S. Nakamura, Chico City Manager, earned $325,086.
Kurt Starman, Redding City Manager, earned $321,091.
Richard Duvernay, Redding City Attorney, earned $286,513.
- 13 Northern California municipal employees earned at least $50,000 in overtime alone.
- Mark Weber, Redding Working Foreman, made $94,431 in overtime and $249,370 in total compensation.
- David Main, Chico Fire Captain, made $78,043 in overtime and $285,849 in total compensation.
- Timothy Smith, Redding Fire Engineer, made $65,077 in overtime and $232,436 in total compensation.

Central Coast Municipal Employees Earned Average of $112,000 in 2013

The data show that average full-time compensation for employees of 30 Central Coast cities was $111,613 in 2013, with hundreds earning more than $200,000 a year and dozens more making at least $50,000 in overtime alone. Such compensation is significantly higher than that of peers in the private sector.

To view the comprehensive compensation database for municipal employees of Central Coast and the rest of California – as well as for special districts like fire and water – click here.

Other notable 2013 Central Coast findings include:

360 Central Coast municipal employees earned at least $200,000.
Stephen P. Wiley, Santa Barbara City Attorney, earned $355,209.
Robert Shultz, Morro Bay City Attorney, earned $351,386.
Fred Meurer, Monterey City Manager, earned $328,771.
85 Central Coast municipal employees earned at least $50,000 in overtime alone.
Raymond LaFontaine, Monterey Fire Captain, made $105,370 in overtime and $319,029 in total compensation.
Chris Back, Monterey Firefighter, made $105,235 in overtime and $265,960 in total compensation.
Kevin L Bryant, Santa Barbara Fire Captain, made $102,335 in overtime and $259,350 in total compensation.

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To schedule an interview with California Policy Center president Mark Bucher,

please contact Jordan Bruneau at 916-258-2396 or jordan@calpolicycenter.org.

Transparent California is a project of two nonpartisan, free-market think tanks, the California Policy Center

and Nevada Policy Research Institute. Learn more at www.TransparentCalifornia.com.

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California Policy Center

Transparent California Releases Compensation Data for 405 cities and 826 Special Districts Statewide

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