California’s highest-paid staff are a little-known cadre of pension managers, jail employees and patrolmen who pull in as much as $2 million in complete compensation on the taxpayer dime, information reveal.

The top-earning state employee last 12 months was Stephen Gilmore, chief funding officer at the California Public Employees Retirement System, who netted $2.36 million in complete compensation, including a $720,608 wage, practically $100,000 in advantages and a whopping $1.5 million in “other pay.”

Stephen Gilmore serves as CalPERS’ chief funding officer and earned more than $2 million. CalPERS

The publicly obtainable pay information was compiled by the San Francisco Chronicle.

The roughly 250 state employees who made more than $600,000 were largely concentrated in two of California’s large pension techniques — the Public Employees Retirement System and the Teachers’ Retirement System — alongside with the California Highway Patrol and the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Arnold B. Phillips is managing funding director at CalPERS. CalPERS

The California State Capitol. Getty Images

Although Gilmore was the only state employee incomes over $2 million in complete comp, several other pension bosses netted properly over $1 million last 12 months thanks to “other pay,” which can embody performance-based bonuses.

Managing director Arnold Phillips took dwelling $1.73 million, including $1 million in “other pay,” while deputy funding chief Daniel Bienvenue and government officer Marcie Frost each earned $1.6 million.

Tai Vong, former chief of the California Highway Patrol. Linkedin

CalPERS is the largest public staff’ retirement system in the United States, with over $600 billion in property.

California jail shrinks are also bringing dwelling some critical dough.

Samita Gandhi, a employees psychiatrist at Corrections and Rehabilitation, was that division’s highest-paid employee with $873,872 in complete comp. Chief psychiatrist Olivia Del Pilar and employees shrink Damon Walcott weren’t far behind it $841,878 and $822,971, respectively.

Tai Vong, chief of the California Highway Patrol who retired one 12 months in the past, made an eye-popping $914,554 in complete comp in his last 12 months — including a “lump sum” fee of $398,000. His fellow chiefs James Mann and Donald Goodbrand earned $838,272 and $824,122 and one sergeant, Leonard Tomboc, earned $812,678.

Another outlier was Vernon Steiner, who runs the State Compensation Insurance Fund. His taxpayer-backed earnings last 12 months were $1.2 million, including a $702,791 annual base wage.

Vernon Steiner, President and CEO of the State Compensation Insurance Fund.. IIABCal

Ian Choudri was appointed as Chief Executive Officer for the California High-Speed Rail Authority in August 2024. State of California

Ian Choudri, who’s in cost of California’s embattled High Speed Rail challenge, also earned a fairly penny at $638,943 in compensation last 12 months.

Departments with the worst-compensated employees embody Motor Vehicles and Veterans Affairs — both of which have median wages under $71,000, according to the Chronicle’s evaluation.