Press Releases

SACRAMENTO — State Controller Betty T. Yee has updated her Government Compensation in California website to include 2014 self-reported data for special districts. The data covers 137,181 positions and a total of more than $6.8 billion in wages and $2.3 billion in retirement and health care costs for 2,947 special districts.

Users of the site can:

• View compensation levels on maps and search for compensation by region;
• Narrow results by name of entity or by job title;
• Build charts and trend graphics; and
• Export custom reports or raw data.

For instance, the new data show that three fire protection districts had the highest average salaries in 2014: Menlo Park ($140,488), San Ramon Valley ($137,363), and Montecito ($135,439). The three special districts with the biggest overall payrolls were Alameda Health System ($353.4 million), the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District ($309.4 million), and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California ($213.1 million). The three entities with the highest average retirement and health care costs were the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District ($100,588), the Central Contra Costa Sanitary District ($79,107), and the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District ($69,424).

Overall, the new data show average wages for special district employees increased 1.8 percent in 2014, and retirement and health costs went up by 11.6 percent. However, the number of special district employees dropped by 9.7 percent.

Since the government compensation website was launched in 2010, it has registered nearly 9 million page views. The site now contains information on more than 2 million jobs in California, as reported by each government entity.

About 2.3 percent of special districts failed to file the required reports, or provided incomplete or late information. A list of noncompliant entities is available here.

As the chief fiscal officer of California, Controller Yee is responsible for accountability and disbursement of the state’s financial resources. The Controller also safeguards many types of property until claimed by the rightful owners, and has independent auditing authority over government agencies that spend state funds. She is a member of numerous financing authorities, and fiscal and financial oversight entities including the Franchise Tax Board. She also serves on the boards for the nation's two largest public pension funds. Elected in 2014, Controller Yee is the tenth woman elected to a statewide office in California’s history. Follow the Controller on Twitter at @CAController and on Facebook at California State Controller’s Office.

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