CA: Hefty Paychecks for Police Officers and Firefighters

[SophieRose]

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/02/us/california-today-police-firefighter-pay.html?_r=0

In 2015, five San Jose police officers each made more than $400,000.

A payroll error? In fact, they earned every penny by the book.

Hefty compensation, it turns out — including regular pay, overtime and benefits — is not unusual for public safety employees in California.

“It is routine now for firefighters to be up over $200,000, $300,000,” said Mark Bucher, chief executive officer of the California Policy Center, a public policy think tank. “Look at just about any city and you’ll see the same thing.”

 

[cvaldez1975]

san jose PD is grossly understaffed because good ole chuck reed our former mayor did away w their pensions... now ppl can have their opinions about pensions but LE deserves a pension, they have their azz on the line. they actually had to start making new hires sign a contract to stay on for a certain amount because officers were getting hired, using SJPD to get academy and 832 then leaving. we have a million plus ppl and it is a sprawling city. crime is getting pretty bad too.

it is also the most ridiculously expensive place to live. a run of the mill 3/2 is 750-1 mil. this is an AVERAGE house.

5 officers isn't much in a metro area police force.

 

[cvaldez1975]

this article seems like it is skewed right. ok, private sector employees don't have pensions but they get paid A LOT more in this area. like 7-10 an hour more.

you cant really compare public safety jobs to private sector jobs.

 

[SophieRose]

Revenues for City of Oakland will exceed budget projections by nearly $16 million but expenditures will also exceed budget by $17 million because of overtime costs.
http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2017/03...itys-real-estate-windfall-controller-reports/

But expenditures are way higher than projected too, by $16.83 million. The city is on pace to spend $56.22 million on overtime costs, $35.34 million more than budgeted.

Of that $35.34 million, the police department went $12.76 million over budget and the fire department went $20.1 million, according to a series of reports prepared by Interim Controller Kirsten LaCasse.

snip

Of the city’s $549.92 million of budgeted general fund expenditures, almost 43 percent, $234.22 million, was allocated for police. The fire department budget was $127.21 million, which it exceeded by only $6.4 million despite having that $20.1 million in excess overtime costs.