The latest payroll scandal to hit the state of California is sure to spark more frustration and mistrust on the part of a very weary public.
It seems that more than 1,400 state employees earn over $200,000, and most of them work for the state’s health system. Approximately 790 of those with salaries over the $200,000 mark are doctors, nurses and dentists.
A doctor in the prison system collected $777,423 in 2010 and another, a dentist, was paid more than $599,403, according to information released by California’s State Controller, John Chiang on his website.
While releasing the figures for public review is important, it is a far cry from true transparency in the state’s handling of employee compensation. By failing to also include the names of the individuals who received the large payouts of taxpayer dollars, the state controller has allowed a long ongoing practice of obscuring accountability in employee contracting for the state’s highest paid workers to continue.
When you work for the public, you have an obligation to keep the public informed on how taxpayer dollars are being spent, and, Mr. Chiang, that includes who gets the money.
If everything is on the up and up with government salaries and benefits, then the public needs to know who’s earning what amounts and why.
Government has lost much of the public’s trust. To re-earn it, it must start to act openly and transparently.
While health assistance from the state has had an axe taken to it, leaving many Californians unable to pay for or get the health care they need, is it any wonder news of inflated salaries and benefits, such as the cash buyout of more than two years of untaken vacation and sick time, is leaving many state residents angry and resentful?
Mr. Chiang, it’s time to include the names of state workers in your database.
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