Tax dollars are paying for many employee salaries in excess of $100,000 in four San Francisco Bay area cities, despite bleak budget outlooks in the cities. A San Francisco Chronicle survey found 8,000 employees in San Francisco making more than $100,000, joined by 2,300 employees in San Jose, 1,300 employees in Oakland and 292 in Vallejo, a city that almost went bankrupt.
In addition to this pay level, these employees enjoy health benefits and a number of perks, and have very generous pensions tied to these salaries.
In San Francisco, a nurse used a lot of overtime to raise her pay for 2007 to $350,324. A department head for the Administrative Services Department got $280,195. Two police inspectors and a police sergeant also received more than $250,000 in total pay for 2007.
In San Jose, a battalion fire chief was the top dog, with 2007 pay at $270,366. He was closely followed by a temporary employee at $249,189. Seven other battalion fire chiefs were paid more than $210,000, and another temporary employee – classified as "Retiree U" – got $210,903.
In Oakland, a fire battalion chief was paid $271,978 in 2007, while a police sergeant received $267,935. Twenty-six other fire department employees all made more than $208,000, topping the city attorney's $207,350 salary.
In Vallejo, not a large city, the highest paid employee worked in the police department for $435,638 a year – she was not the police chief. There were 18 fire department employees paid more than $207,000 in 2007.
A factor in some of the highest salaries is overtime stemming from staffing levels that public employee unions got cities to adopt. San Francisco has new contracts with police and fire unions that will cost $32 million more next year, as the city faces a $338 million shortfall. (Source: San Francisco Chronicle, March 30.)
Cal-Taxletter April 4, 2008
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