Posted on 06/21/2005 4:08:00 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Nearly 2,000 state employees earned more than $132,000 last year, according to a newspaper report. That's up from 1,194 in 2003 and 1,021 in 2002.
The state controller's office provided data on the state's highest paid employees to the San Francisco Chronicle.
As a group, the state's top 20 best-paid employees earned $6.2 million in 2004, up 9 percent from 2003 and up 20 percent from 2002.
"Whenever you see such significant increases in such a short amount of time, it is a red flag," said Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, a group that pushes for limits on taxes and government spending. "It would seem to us that the state bears a heavy burden of proof to justify the compensation, which I am not sure they have done."
The controller's data also understates the number of top-paid employees on the state payrolls because it excludes employees of the University of California. The controller provided The Chronicle with a list of the top 2,000 highest-paid state employees for each of the past three years.
But some say the state needs to offer regular raises and six-figure salaries to attract talented and skilled employees for key jobs. Many of the best-paid workers are doctors, judges, money managers and other professionals who could easily find lucrative work in the private sector. Others earned hefty paychecks by logging overtime in hard-to-fill jobs, working with prisoners or the mentally ill.
"You're going head-to-head with the private sector," said Rob Wassmer, an economist at California State University, Sacramento, who has done research related to state and local government. "There are some people who are altruistic and will take a (government) job for that reason, but I don't think we can rely on that if we want to find the best people."
Pay for the top 2,000 employees rose 5 percent from 2002 to 2004. Salaries, overtime and other compensation for the state's top-paid workers all increased steadily during the past two years, despite the state's fiscal crisis. The lowest-paid person on that list, a surgeon at Sonoma State Hospital, made $131,454.
The average state employee, including part-time workers, earned about $42,400 last year, up 8 percent from 2002, according to the state controller's office.
Curious......
I would like to see that list.
I remember years ago, it was the private sector where the good jobs were. Now it seems the good jobs are in the government sector. My, how times have changed.
However, my experience with state and federal employees has only done one thing for me: reinforce the peter principle.
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Well, we, as California taxpayers, are certainly getting a better return on our invested tax dollars on these state employees as compared to the $10 BILLION a year for illegal aliens. If this state is interested in saving money, let's go after the BIG low-hanging fruit first.
That is so bogus. Franklin was right.
damn right, with tech and white collar jobs being offshored, and benefits being cut for those that remain - government is a great place to work now.
A red flag which means "nothing will change".
doesn't come close to the nation's highest paid servant - LA Sheriff Baca at $1/3 million plus...
Of course private accounts are risky for private employees but not for public employees.
I know my liberal uncle is on that list.
Limo Liberal?
AND... you never get laid off....
Around here - nearly all my high tech friends have been laid off at least once in the last five years.
Can he be healed?
I forgot about that little employment perk.
(that rhymed)
LOL!
I have a socialist uncle too. I like him a lot, but we get into it whenever we spend much time together. He's a WWII vet. Also postures as being jealous of his privacy from government.Last time we talked politics I asked him the difference between "society" and "government" - and he didn't think there was any. The correct answer, IMHO, is that "society" minus "government" equals "freedom." If there is no difference between "society" and "government" there is no freedom.
"Socialists" use "society" as a euphemism for "government." Thus (for example), "social"-ism is actually "governmentism" - tyranny.
Anyway, I noticed your tagline and went to your homepage and "in forum" to this thread. My original point was that your tagline suggests that you could be interested in this long-running thread about journalism - a.k.a, "the media."
Thanks for the thread. It is something in which I am very interested.
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