Politics & Government
Who are the Top Retired Earners in Santa Cruz Government?
Being retired isn't a bad deal if you worked for the city of Santa Cruz. The top 16 retired earners make more than $100,000 a year.
Cities are being crushed under the weight of public officials' retirement benefits and the California State Legislature is looking for ways to control the massive debts they bring on.
The retirement compensation below is part of a list posted by the San Jose Mercury News and other newspapers.
The CalPERS list was unveiled as the state Legislature last week approved a pension reform bill that is now on Gov. Jerry Brown's desk.
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Santa Cruz's top earner is retired City Manager Richard Wilson, who takes home $217,823 a year after serving the city for 43 years. Next up is former Police Chief Howard Skerry, who served in office for 30 years. He takes home $177,611 a year.
The average worker in the U.S. made $41,673 in 2010.
Find out what's happening in Santa Cruzwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Check the rest below:
Retiree Job Years of Service Annual Pension Richard Wilson City Manager 43 $217,823 Howard Skerry Police Chief 30 $177,611 Patricia Sapone Deputy Police Chief 30 $157,209 Mark Violante Fire Captain 30 $143,135 Matthew Tracy Deputy Fire Chief 30 $141,269 Steven Belcher Police Chief 32 $136,253 David Larson Police Officer 35 $116,594 Dave Gigliotti Fire Captain 28 $115, 548 Gary Niblock Firefighter 29 $114,123Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
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