California state government salary

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California state government salaries for public employees are 25.2% more on average than state employees in Texas, although the California private sector workers made only 12.5% more than their Texas counterparts.^[1]

In August 2010, State Controller John Chiang announced he will require new reporting by cities and counties that will clearly identify salaries of public employees and elected officials. That information will then be posted on the Controllers Web site in November.^[2]

According to Census data, the state of California and local governments in the state employed a total of 2,256,634 people in 2008.^[3] Of those employees, 1,584,459 were full-time employees receiving a net pay of $9,043,021,107 per month and 672,175 were part-time employees paid $969,357,807 per month.^[3] More than 55% of those employees, or 1,257,074 employees, were in education or higher education.^[3]

Hiring has slowed. In 2010, the number of new state hires roughly equaled the number of employees who retired. In 2011, however, for every worker that was hired into a job with benefits, two retired. Many hired workers were for part-time work without benefits.^[4]

Three hospital district executives emerged as among the highest-paid public employees in California, according to a state report, including an official in San Diego County who made more than $1 million in 2009. The salary survey came after public outrage over the high compensation of some city officials, including former Bell City Administrator Robert Rizzo, who was set to earn more than $1.5 million in 2010. (The LA Times also found that Vernon's onetime city administrator, Eric T. Fresch, earned $1.65 million in 2008.) Hospital officials and their advocates argue that it's important to put the salaries of the hospital directors in context, given the complexity of their jobs and the fact that they are in great demand in the private sector.^[5]

Legislators' salary

California state legislators make $95,291 per year.^[6] Legislators also receive a per diem of $141.86 per day plus mileage tied to federal rate.^[7]

A state panel in late May 2012 approved a 5 percent pay cut for lawmakers and statewide elected officials, including Gov. Jerry Brown. The California Citizens Compensation Commission, which sets pay and health benefits for those offices, voted 5-1 in favor of the cuts that take effect Dec. 3, 2012.^[8]

The California Citizens Compensation Commission decided not to cut benefits, car allowances or the legislative per diem payments of about $30,000 annually that offset living expenses in 2010. Commissioner Kathy Sands had proposed a 10% pay cut, but shelved her proposal when the FY2011 budget was not passed by the deadline of June 15, 2010, explaining that she did not want to act without knowing the ramifications of a budget to cure the state's projected $19.1 billion deficit.^[9] She wanted to keep the legislative pay cut similar to the cuts that will be faced by state workers after the FY2011 budget is passed.^[9]

Lawsuit against pay cuts

Assemblyman Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles) has filed a claim against the state on behalf of all state legislators to try and overrule the pay cuts from 2009 by the Citizens Compensation Commission. She alleges that the 18% cut in pay and benefits was illegal. If Cedillo wins, taxpayers would have to reimburse elected officials for millions of dollars in lost pay and benefits.^[10] but it's ok for the stater to cut the unions pay and retiement

Elected officials' salaries

According to California's Department of Personnel Administration, California's Governor received an annual salary of $212,179, while legislators received an annual salary of $116,208.^[11]

The salary of California's governor ranks 1st among U.S. governors' salaries. The average salary earned by U.S. governors is $128,735. The median salary earned by U.S. governors is $129,962. The salary was reduced and in 2010 was $173,987.^[9] Gov. Schwarzenegger does not accept pay.^[9]

Judicial salaries

The salary of California's chief justice ranks 1st among U.S. chief justices' salaries. The average salary earned by U.S. chief justices is $155,230. The median salary earned by U.S. chief justices is $151,284.^[14]

The salary of California's associate justices ranks 1st among U.S. associate justices' salaries. The average salary earned by U.S. associate justices is $151,142. The median salary earned by U.S. associate justices is $145,984.^[14]

Average state employee starting salary

The state's median starting base pay in 2011 was $2,280 per month, or $27,360 per year.^[4] Despite large cuts to the state budget, legislators handed out raises to 1,000 employees who worked in the legislature in July of 2012.^[15] While some of the employees hadn't received a raise in three years, more than 110 of the 1,090 raises awarded in the last fiscal year went to legislative employees who were making salaries above $100,000. The raises ranged between three and ten percent.

Teacher Salaries

California teacher salaries are determined at the district level. Teacher salary is determined by a number of factors, including an area’s cost of living, district funding and the number of experienced teachers working in the district. An individual teacher’s salary is generally based on college units completed and years of teaching experience. Across the state, starting teacher salaries are considerably lower than district average salaries. ^[16]

The number of teacher's earning raises increased by 76 percent, from 3,010 in 2009 to 5,308 in 2010.^[18]

California educators participate in the California State Teachers Retirement System and have an average annual retirement benefit of $51,072. ^[19].

Union negotiations

The SEIU approved a contract which would reduce pay for 95,000 public employees in California by 5 percent. The deal was struck in order to secure pensions for its members. The union also agreed to increase member contributions to their pensions by 3 percent, which was less then the 4 to 5 percent Gov. Schwarzenegger had negotiated with other unions. The union's concessions are expected to save the state $383 million.^[20]

Public versus private employees

A report compiled by the California Foundation for Fiscal Responsibility compares public and private employee compensation and retirement benefits in California. According to the study, public employees often receive benefits two or three times greater than benefits in the private sector. The study also concludes that salary figures in the public sphere are similar or slightly higher than those in the private sector for comparable work. Based on the findings, employers typically spend less than one-third what state taxpayers spend on employee pensions and retiree health benefits; case in point: “A state employee earning $60,000 annually will accumulate pension and retiree health benefits valued at $19,000 a year. A comparably paid employee of a large California company will receive retirement benefits worth less than $6,000.” ^[21]

According to the report workers in local government jobs typically have higher salaries and benefits than state government and private sector employees.

Highlights of the study include:^[22]

• The combined actuarial shortfalls for the state’s ten largest public funds, which account for 90 percent of public pension fund assets in the state, is $240 billion, or nearly one-third the combined liabilities of the funds.
• Members in three of the four California public employee groups we modeled receive employer-funded benefits that are considerably larger than those provided through private sector plans offered by our sample companies
• Full career employees of the state and the representative local system generally receive benefits that are comparable to or larger than the benefits received by federal employees.
• Teachers receive smaller benefits than the other California public sector employees considered here.
• Funding risks are largely borne by employer in California public sector funds.

• See chart of Los Angeles County employee salaries.
• Search city, county and special district salaries at the comptroller's website.

Local government employees

Main article: California local government salary

In 2011, Sunshine Review requested salary information from 19 local governments in the state.

7 High-Paid Public Service Jobs

See also: Public employee salary

The San Francisco Chronicle's compares the average national salary of $41,000 per year to jobs in public service that pull hefty salary and benefits packages, plus job security. A California prison surgeon, for example, reportedly earned $775,000, and a California prison doctor earned $784,596 including bonuses and overtime. California teachers, at $59,825, earn 38% more per year than the average high school teacher salary of $43,368 and about 46% more than the national average salary, which, the article posits, makes teaching a more appealing career choice in California.

Salaries for public service positions can increase so much due to regular salary increases per number of years of service and union representation in collective bargaining, and because some public service jobs give employees the chance to take payments in exchange for unused benefits, increasing overall salaries and accounting for some of the extremely high salaries in California. ^[23]

Transparency reform

• See sample transparency legislation at the Sunshine Standard

Several officials have come forward to demand greater transparency as a result of the Bell salaries. State Controller John Chiang expanded salary reporting requirement that all cities and counties must report salaries to him by October 15th of this year and that the salaries will be posted on the Controller's website in November.^[24] Chiang followed through on his promise and posted 742 employee salaries for 26 agencies. The database lists the salary range, the salary paid in 2009, the type of pension package, the amount agencies pay per employee for health, dental and vision insurance.^[25]

Treasurer Bill Lockyer has proposed new auditing rules which would require reporting large pay increases that affect pension benefits.^[26] Both of the officials have roles in CalPERS, California's retirement system, who knew about the salaries since 2006.^[26]

Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown has also called for an investigation into the situation.^[26] Others, like Brian Call with the OC Register has suggested that fulltime Mayors, who depend on elections, would also be better than a city manger system.^[26]

Sen. Lou Correa has proposed the Taxpayer Right to Know Act, which would create database of public employee pay.^[27] The League of California Cities is also drafting legislation to proactively disclose salary and pension information for local employees.^[28] The League of California Cities has insisted for the transparency effort to work the legislation must encourage citizen engagement, transparency, and local control.^[28] The most recent bill proposed would not only reveal municipal employee salaries, but those at the state level too.^[29] As a result, senators are shying away from the legislation and instead concerning requiring the salary disclosure via an internal rule in the Senate.^[29]

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently vetoed a AB827 which would have restricted city manager pay in reaction the Bell scandal. One measure of the bill would have forbade employment contracts guaranteeing city managers annual salary increases that exceed the cost of living.^[30] The Governor said the bill was vetoed because it did not go far enough, and only applied to city manager pay and not other public officials.^[31]

Benefits

Insurance

The Savings Plus Program offers a 401(k) Plan and a 457 Plan to eligible State of California employees. These plans allow you to build a retirement savings account using automatic payroll deductions that go into investments you select from the Savings

Dental insurance and vision insurance^[32] is available to nearly all permanent employees who work the equivalent of half-time or more.^[33]

Excluded employees in permanent positions working at least half-time are eligible to enroll in the long-term disability insurance program.^[34] Premiums are calculated based on the employee's age.^[35]

Employees are also offered long-term care insurance.^[36]

Paid days off

Holidays State employees receive the following ten paid holidays^[37]:

• New Year's Day
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
• Presidents Day
• Caesar Chavez Day
• Memorial Day
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Veteran's Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Day After Thanksgiving
• Christmas Day

Personal days

In addition, permanent employees are entitled to one personal holiday per year.^[38]

Vacation time

Rank-and-file employees accrue 7-15 hours of vacation time per month, depending on length of service and bargaining unit. Managers and supervisors accrue 7-16 hours of vacation time per month, depending on length of service. State employees may carry over up to 640 hours of unused vacation to the next year.^[39]

Sick leave

Regarding sick leave, full-time employees who have completed their first month on the job accrue eight hours of sick leave per month. Unused sick leave may be carried over each year.

Other leave

Most permanent, full-time state employees are eligible to receive an additional day of leave credit per month in exchange for a 5 percent reduction in pay. The state claims that the voluntary program helps employees who want to accrue extra time off and helps the state's departments lower payroll costs.

Employees may receive up to 3 days of leave following the death of a family member or other person in the employee's household.

State employees on military leave can receive the difference between their military pay and their military pay and maintain their benefits.^[40]

Employees mentoring at-risk youth through a bona fide organization qualify for up to 40 hours of leave per year on a matching basis.

Employees on jury duty are granted leave time.

Pension

In June 2010, Gov. Schwarzenegger bargained with the 12 public employee unions. Four of unions agreed to let the state cut its own contributions by requiring current workers to pay sharply more for the same pensions. The workers will contribute 10 percent of their pay, in some cases double the previous rate, to the state pension fund.^[41]

Pew Charitable Trusts has reported that the CalPERS pension system has $59.5 billion in unfunded retirement promises, but the Government Accountability Office has said it is $62.5 billion.^[42] Another Stanford University study pensions underfunded by as much as $500 billion based on standard accounting practices.^[42]

Proposition B

Sustainable City Employees Benefits Reform would require police, firefighters and other city employees covered by CalPERS to contribute 10% of their pension contribution.^[43] These employees currently contribute either 7.5% or 9%, depending on when they were hired. The maximum amount that could come out of an individual worker's paycheck toward his or her pension contribution would be 2.5%.^[44]

Other city employees, who currently contribute 7.5%, would contribute 9%. Muni workers, who currently contribute nothing, would have to start paying into the system as other city workers do, under the Adachi proposal.^[45] The initiative would also require city employees to pay for 50%, rather than 25%, of their family's health care coverage. The proposition gathered 77,000 signatures and qualified for the November 2010 ballot.

Several city employee labor unions have filed a lawsuit against the proposition. Participants in the suit include: San Francisco Fire Fighters, Local 798, International Federation of Professional & Technical Engineers, Local 21, Service Employees International Union, Local 1021, the San Francisco Municipal Executives’ Association, and the San Francisco Police Officers Association.^[46]

Other benefits

The Savings Plus Program offers a 401(k) Plan and a 457 Plan to eligible State of California employees. These plans allow workers to build a retirement savings account using automatic payroll deductions that go into investments selected by the employee.

FlexElect Reimbursement Accounts program lets State employees set aside money in a reimbursement account to pay for certain expenses.

The Employee Assistance Plan offers assistance with

• Alcohol Abuse
• Drug Abuse
• Marital and Family Issues
• Emotional, Personal and Stress Concerns
• Financial and Credit Issues^[47]

Disclosure

In August 2010, State Controller John Chiang announced he will require new reporting by cities and counties on salaries of public employees and elected officials.^[2]

The Los Angeles Daily News published this study of LA city employees salaries: SOARING $ALARIES: A TWO-PART SERIES, and offer this database of city employee pay. The Daily News also posted this Los Angeles Unified School District Salaries database. The Sacramento Bee provides this Search for a state worker's salary database for 2007/2008.

See also

• Public employee salary

External links

• Department of Personnel Administration, Salaries of Elected Officials
• County of Santa Clara: Employee Salaries (June '06-June '07)
• Sustainable Financing for Civilization, California Public Employee Compensation

References

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Government	California State Constitution | Executive | House of Representatives | Senate | Local officials | Public school system |
Judiciary	California Supreme Court | Courts of Appeal | Superior Courts | District Courts | Judicial selection in California | Judicial News |
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