Transparent California

TransCal in the News! "What does Natomas Unified’s top administrator make? Robyn Castillo received a salary of $314,200 in 2024 with a total compensation package worth $416,000, according to Transparent California." Thanks to @jennahpen of the @sacbee_news for using our data! Unfortunately earlier in the article they say "What do Natomas teachers make now? Natomas teacher salaries start at $56,000 and cap at $121,000. The median teacher salary in the district is $91,000, according to 2024-25 data." Which is wrong. In 2024 the median pay of a full-time certificated employee in Natomas Unified was actually $97,135, at least if you believe the data provided to us is accurate. We don't have 2025 yet but it's unlikely that number would be lower a year later. We've notified the Bee on that and submitted a letter to the editor clarifying, however have gotten no response. sacbee.com/news/local/edu…

TransCal In the News! "According to Transparent California, average public employee compensation now is six figures per year. When unions secure higher salaries and richer benefits, those costs do not disappear. They show up as higher taxes, expanding government budgets, and massive pension obligations that taxpayers will be forced to cover." Thanks to @FlashReport and @californiapost for making use of our data! nypost.com/2026/03/15/opi…

TransCal in the News! "The following financial information was sourced from Transparent California" Thanks to @drewaskeland of the @ReddingNewsFeed for making use of our data! eu.redding.com/story/news/loc…

TransCal in the News! "Manivong had worked as a Redding equipment operator for several years, according to Transparent California, a database of government employee compensation." Thanks to @MicheleChloe and the @ReddingNewsFeed for using our data! If you’d like to see more data like this, you can help by sponsoring data collection for your favorite public agency at transparentcalifornia.com/sponsor/.  That not only provides funding but prioritizes the collection of the agency’s data in our systems. redding.com/story/news/cri…

"According to Transparent California which captures salaries, OT, benefits, other costs, etc. for every employee in California local and state government, the following is for the City of Oxnard." Great letter to the editor of the @TriCountySentry by reader Ray Blattel. Have you used our data to demonstrate government spending in your community? Written a letter to the editor, stood at the podium at a council or school board meeting? School districts across the state are cutting from the education of your kids, claiming they don't get enough money from the state. But you know what they're really spending their money on, don't you? Thanks to the data we publish here on Transparent California, right?

TransCal in the News! "The board voted 6-1 — with Director Rebecca Eisenberg dissenting — to retain Callender as a “special advisor” to the board, with his current salary and benefits for a year. Callender was making more than $600,000 in total pay and benefits as of 2024, according to Transparent California. Valley Water will also reimburse Callender $65,000 in attorney fees." Thanks to @brandonphooo and the @SJSpotlight for using our data! If you’d like to see more data like this, you can help by sponsoring data collection for your favorite public agency at transparentcalifornia.com/sponsor/. That not only provides funding but prioritizes the collection of the agency’s data in our systems. sanjosespotlight.com/silicon-valley…

This state will never learn... “We are talking about people staying in government service for an additional five years, drawing a six-figure salary, then getting a lump sum payment of a million dollars each,” Assemblymember @carldemaio, a San Diego Republican, said during a debate on the measure last month. He was the only lawmaker to vote against it. " Because that's what California's under-funded pension system really needs. A way to give a million dollars to people already able to retire at 50 with nice six figure incomes - growing with inflation - for the rest of their lives. We certainly appreciate our public safety workers. We want them to be treated fairly, absolutely. But at what point do we take away services from other deserving people, or go back to the People claiming the only way to provide those services is to raise taxes? calmatters.org/digital-democr…

Great examination by @williammelhado of @sacbee_news "Last year, over 1,000 state employees doubled their salaries by working overtime, an analysis of California state employees’ payroll data found. Those state employees, who predominantly work for law enforcement and public safety-related agencies, all made more than $100,000 in overtime in 2025 in addition to their regular salaries. In total, 1,725 state employees earned more than $100,000 in overtime last year, according to the latest data from the State Controller’s Office." But you follow Transparent California, so you know that already, right? sacbee.com/news/politics-…

TransCal in the News! "In 2024, his total compensation was $291,209.27, according to Transparent California." Thanks to @emraguso and the @BerkeleyScanner for using our data! If you’d like to see more data like this, you can help by sponsoring data collection for your favorite public agency at transparentcalifornia.com/sponsor/.  That not only provides funding but prioritizes the collection of the agency’s data in our systems. berkeleyscanner.com/2026/02/10/com…

TransCal in the News! "Citizens can begin to negotiate land deals, but they must have strong city support to repurpose parcels and invest in the Downtown their citizens want. Citizens articulate community priorities; only City Management can act on them. And Santa Clara City Management is paid handsomely to do so– according to “Transparent California,” City Manager Grogan and his immediate staff earn over $2.5+ Million. Yet they have had very few if any meetings with Downtown’s landowners. " Thanks to SVV readers Dan Ondrasek and Mary Grizzle as well as @thesvvoice for publishing their letter! svvoice.com/letters/only-c…

@TheArmedLiberal Thanks!

@Transparent_CA Will do, just to support the mission

Hey @Transparent_CA - with love and admiration for what you do, you have to better manage the popover ads on the site. I get the need to monetize, but making me watch a 4-minute video to close an ad makes me much more likely to simply download data and not keep the site open.

Data collection is an involved process that can take some time. We make thousands of requests spread out over the year and have no way to predict when any agency will provide data. We are also restricted in funding needed to make these requests and often are not able to make requests to smaller agencies. The fact that an agency does not have data does not mean they have ignored our request, it may mean a request was not made. Please see our FAQ for the answer to this. transparentcalifornia.com/pages/faq/ If you would like to support our efforts you can sponsor data collection for agencies you care about by going to transparentcalifornia.com/sponsor/. Sponsored agencies take priority in data collection and sponsors are notified when new data is posted. If you'd like, your sponsorship can be acknowledged on that agency's page or you can choose to remain anonymous if preferable. For a limited time to support our current data collection we've reduced the price of sponsorship to only $25

@Transparent_CA will we be able to see 2025?

@TheArmedLiberal Thanks. We're working on a site redesign, but in the meantime for only $1/month you can subscribe to the "premium" ad-free service at transparentcalifornia.com/premium

Data collection is an involved process that can take some time. We make thousands of requests spread out over the year and have no way to predict when any agency will provide data. We are also restricted in funding needed to make these requests and often are not able to make requests to smaller agencies. Please see our FAQ for the answer to this. transparentcalifornia.com/pages/faq/ If you would like to support our efforts you can sponsor data collection for agencies you care about by going to transparentcalifornia.com/sponsor/. Sponsored agencies take priority in data collection and sponsors are notified when new data is posted. If you'd like, your sponsorship can be acknowledged on that agency's page or you can choose to remain anonymous if preferable. Thanks for your interest in transparency in government!

TransCal in the News! "Bergstrom made $273,178 annually, according to the most recent entry on Transparent California, a statewide public pay and pension database." Thanks to @mueggabyte and @ABC10 for using our data! If you’d like to see more data like this, you can help by sponsoring data collection for your favorite public agency at transparentcalifornia.com/sponsor/.  That not only provides funding but prioritizes the collection of the agency’s data in our systems. abc10.com/article/news/l…

"Thus, the Measure E tax revenue is actually paying for Oxnard city employee benefits, not parks, not streets, not elderly or children’s programs, etc. Is this what you expected when you voted yes for Measure E?" Ray Blattel of Oxnard, writing to the @vcstar, gets it. Have you written to your local paper exposing the truth about this years crop of tax increase proposals? vcstar.com/story/opinion/…

TransCal in the News! "According to Transparent California, which tracks public employee pay, Amaral’s predecessor, Jason Phillips, earned $493,747 in pay and $82,675 in benefits for a total compensation package of $576,423 in 2024, the most recent year that information was available." Thanks to Lisa McEwen and @SJVWater for using our data! If you’d like to see more data like this, you can help by sponsoring data collection for your favorite public agency at transparentcalifornia.com/sponsor/.  That not only provides funding but prioritizes the collection of the agency’s data in our systems. midvalleytimes.com/article/news/2…

TransCal in the News! "He also made headlines as one of the highest paid city employees in California. In 2024 he earned $905,000 in total compensation, according to public pay database Transparent California. That included his $367,000 base salary plus hundreds of thousands in supplemental benefits." Thanks to @ReporterAlvarez and @KVIEPBS for using our data! If you’d like to see more data like this, you can help by sponsoring data collection for your favorite public agency at transparentcalifornia.com/sponsor/.  That not only provides funding but prioritizes the collection of the agency’s data in our systems. abridged.org/news/howard-ch…

Thanks for the mention in this article. It's amazing what the public can find out by following our FB @TransparentCalifornia, Twitter  @Transparent_CA or checking out our site at transparentcalifornia.com/salaries/2024/… Anyone who wants us to prioritize data collection for a particular agency can sponsor that data collection at transparentcalifornia.com/sponsor/

Two deputy city managers exit, new hire appointed in Stockton City Hall shakeup recordnet.com/story/news/pol…