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Hundreds of California’s state employees earn more than $240,000

July 6, 2011

California Controller John Chiang

More than 500 of California’s public service workers earned more than $240,000 before taxes in 2010, according to data released Tuesday by state Controller John Chiang. [San Francisco Chronicle]

As legislators last year worked feverishly to reduce spending in the state’s budget, hundreds of workers in the public sector were receiving earnings of six-figures, far exceeding their base salaries.

At least nine of the state’s employees made more than $500,000 last year, most of them prison doctors and other medical staff. The top 10 earners combined brought in more than $5.8 million in 2010.

Chiang released the figures on his website but did not include names. Chiang’s database cites the top earner as a prison surgeon who received $777,423 before taxes for his services.

The inflated income was the result of payouts to retiring employees who racked up extensive paid time off over the years, as well as monies received from bonuses and lawsuits.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported March that the state regularly makes six-figure payouts to retiring employees because managers do not enforce caps on the amount of paid time off that an employee can amass.

Statewide, medical employees in the prison system took home the most compensation. Many of these workers are overseen by a federal receiver, a position that was created in 2006 to manage the state’s sub-par prison healthcare system, which at the time led to the unnecessary deaths of about 50 inmates a year. The first receiver gave large raises to most workers under his supervision, arguing the state could not otherwise attract qualified medical staff.


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This Chang clown is lying big time. There are thousands of state employees making over 240K if you include the state college and university system. There are 139 Dentists that work for the corrections institution. The lowest paid dentist makes 129K a year. There are 20 of them that make over 300K a year. AND THEY RETIRE AFTER 20-30 YEARS WITH 80-90 OF THERE SALARY PAID BY US. Don’t believe this liar. Go direct to the source The Sacramento Bee website has a link to the state database where you can inquire by name, position or salary level on any state employee.


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http://www.sacbee.com/statepayresults/index.html


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this chang is a filthy liar. There are 22 state employees in the state employees retirement planning offfice (calpers) that make over 240K a year. There are 8 of them that make over 400K a year and one of them makes over 500K a year. There are 2 employees that make 2 million a year and another dozen or so that make between 1 and 2 million a year. LOOK IT UP. Don’t fall for the lies.


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Mr. Chiang is very well respected and IMO very honest. You are calling this good man a ‘filthy liar’, calm down you sound foolish. He didn’t say how many are making more than $240,000, he said more than 500. Should he have not said anything?


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You are a perfect example of the problem we have in California. You swallowed the lie. You don’t challenge or question the lies or distortions or subtle nuances dished out by these bureaucrats. Chang has a mission which is to minimize the impact of salaries on the taxpayers so we will vote for the higher taxes. Then they shut down the parks (saving 75 million or so to punish us for not going along with raising taxes. There are over 2500 state employees in the state employee retirement office administering calpers and on the government dole. 22 of them make over 250K a year. 1 to 200 make over 100K a year. DO THE MATH. If they cut that department back by 50% the could have left all the parks open…But no these welfare receipients have to maintain 2500 people whose job it is to manage their retirement package and bill the taxpayer for the service and the cost of retirement. ITS GHASTLY


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You are wrong about Chiang. He wrote an extensive report exposing the exorbitant amount of the retirement packages and benefits that many state employees receive. Then on the opposite side of the coin, Arnie was going to reduce state employee pay to $6 something an hour. Chiang saved our state millions by stopping Arnie from such a reckless move. If not for Chiang we would be paying out the nose for the litigation that would have taken place. You might have agreed with Arnie but the law is the law, you can’t pay people below min. wage.


Chiang might be dem but IMO he’s non partisan. He’s a pencil pushier, a numbers guy. He simply looks at what we have and he tells it like it is and I’ve seen nothing so far that disproves that. He’s also a legal eagle and he’s saved us a lot of money with his legal knowledge.


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“Many of these workers are overseen by a federal receiver, a position that was created in 2006 to manage the state’s sub-par prison healthcare system, which at the time led to the unnecessary deaths of about 50 inmates a year.”


So “sub-par” healthcare was killing about 50 inmates per year, yet only 13 inmates have been executed on death row since 1992. Seems to me the old system was working pretty well.


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America’s biggest teacher and principal cheating scandal unfolds in Atlanta


At least 178 teachers and principals in Atlanta Public Schools cheated to raise student scores on high-stakes standardized tests, according to a report from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Education/2011/0705/America-s-biggest-teacher-and-principal-cheating-scandal-unfolds-in-Atlanta/(page)/2#comments


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@ Typoqueen, I thought we were talking about the PRISON System…so I failed to state it in my last post.


Repost:

@Typoqueen, Teachers in the PRISON System have it just about as easy also.

I believe they don’t have to prepare or submit “Lesson Plans” to anyone and they only work a few hours in the morning and a few hours in the afternoon. A teacher I know at CMC who has a Doctorate Degree made over $100,000 dollars last year.

Best “held” secret in the State of California.


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Oh, sorry about that. Yes I don’t doubt that (regarding prison teachers). The prison system needs a complete overhaul, it’s a mess.


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@Typoqueen, Teachers have it just about as easy also. I believe they don’t have to prepare or submit “Lesson Plans” to anyone and they only work a few hours in the morning and a few hours in the afternoon. A teacher I know who has a Doctorate Degree made over $100,000 dollars last year.

Best “held” secret in the State of California.


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Now this I must disagree with. Teachers don’t make that much. I’d be surprised if any teachers in the LMUSD make over 100K. Teachers work very hard, they definitely work much harder than what you are claiming. Teachers in our district average 50-60k a year and now they are forced to buy many of their supplies. They have to buy glue, paper, pencils etc. all of that stuff adds up to quite a bit of money. I have worked for years in the classrooms with these teachers. After 2 or 3 hours with 35 10 year olds I’m exhausted, they are there all day and they are working. For the most part they are teaching the best that they can with what they are given. Are some teachers bad, yes are some lazy, yes, are some over paid yes. But over all teachers are good hardworking people and in no way make too much money.


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Oh, and BTW they do submit lesson plans.


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Not in the Prison System…so I was once told.


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@Rawhide, I have a family member that works in a prison and he/she also told me that the shrinks work maybe 15 hours a week (on a good week) but get paid for a full week. Meanwhile the psych nurses work their butts off to make up for the shrinks not being there even though the nurses get paid a quarter of what the shrinks get. They are waaaay over paid.


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An employee in one of the Prisons told me that he knew a psychiatrist who only worked a couple hours per day at the prison to earn his paycheck. All he had to do was show up, see one of two inmate patients, and off to his private practice on the streets.


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