Calif. Controller Updates Website With More City, County Pay Data

California State Controller John Chiang has updated the public employee compensation website (http://publicpay.ca.gov/) with the latest wage and benefit data for city and county employees.

The site offers maps, search functions, and custom report-building tools. It also allows users to download raw data for their own research.

The update covers calendar year 2012 and adds wage and benefit data for 637,435 positions, with more than $38.86 billion in wages paid in 2012.

"Making compensation of public employees transparent provides taxpayers with the ability to be more informed and active in local government decisions," Chiang said in a press release. "I'm especially encouraged with the cooperation that cities and counties have provided in helping us make all government more accountable to Californians."

The 2012 figures for state and California State University employees were updated earlier this year. Only the cities of San Mateo, Compton and Calimesa failed to file reports for the update. All counties filed complete reports on-time with the Controller's Office.

Special district information will be updated in the Spring, and data from the University of California is expected later next year.

The website allows you to view compensation levels on map graphics, and search for compensation by region and dvelop charts, trend-line and trend graphs; quickly see lists of top earners at cities, counties, and other local governments; generate side-by-side comparisons of local government payrolls; create local agency summaries; and export custom reports or raw data from the site

A series of videos are also available to guide users through the site's interface. The site currently includes annual compensation data for positions at cities, counties, higher education institutions, special districts and state departments.

Here are the top 10 highest paid city jobs in 2012:

Here are the top 1- highest paid county positions in 2012: