State orders California cities to disclose salaries

August 3, 2010

California Controller John Chiang

In response to the scandal over salaries in Bell, State Controller John Chiang announced Tuesday that he would be posting salary information for elected city officials and other employees on his website beginning in November.  [LATimes]

“The absence of transparency is a breeding ground for waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars,” said Chiang, who is running for re-election. “A single website with accessible information will make sure that excessive pay is no longer able to escape public scrutiny and accountability.”

Currently, local governments are required to provide summary information about revenue and expenses to the state. Payroll information is included in total amounts, but not itemized.

The new rules will require compensations for reach category of local official to be provided to the state.

“We have to make sure people aren’t moving categories or hiding what they are being paid,” Chiang said in an interview. “We want to put it in a format people understand.”