The information below was obtained under the Freedom of Information Act
from the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS).
Search the $100,000 Pension Club database …
There are currently 50 retired employees in the city of Santa Ana who receive in excess of $100,000 per anum in CalPERS pensions. That represents $5 million for these “$100, 000 Pension Club members
NAME MONTHLY ANNUAL CITY
PHILLIP GARCIA $14,481.34 $173,776.08 SANTA ANA
FRANKLIN JENSEN $12,188.29 $146,259.48 SANTA ANA
WAYNE BOWMAN $11,844.52 $142,134.24 SANTA ANA
GEORGE SAADEH $11,735.42 $140,825.04 SANTA ANA
RAYMOND COMEAU $11,526.09 $138,313.08 SANTA ANA
WILLIAM ZASTROW $11,496.04 $137,952.48 SANTA ANA
ROBERT TYLER $11,456.02 $137,472.24 SANTA ANA
ANDY MONEY $11,357.72 $136,292.64 SANTA ANA
ALLEN CARTER $11,318.81 $135,825.72 SANTA ANA
JON RIBBLE $11,166.41 $133,996.92 SANTA ANA
ROBIN MCCOY $10,797.10 $129,565.20 SANTA ANA
BALTAZAR DE LA RIVA $10,541.01 $126,492.12 SANTA ANA
DAVID NICK $10,116.64 $121,399.68 SANTA ANA
MICHAEL FOOTE $10,110.23 $121,322.76 SANTA ANA
KENNETH HALL $10,102.41 $121,228.92 SANTA ANA
JOSE GARCIA $10,098.93 $121,187.16 SANTA ANA
JOHN PEREZ $10,090.95 $121,091.40 SANTA ANA
PHILIP ARCHER $10,052.99 $120,635.88 SANTA ANA
CHARLES MAGDALENA $9,938.32 $119,259.84 SANTA ANA
FELIX OSUNA $9,931.13 $119,173.56 SANTA ANA
ERNEST HOEFT $9,795.19 $117,542.28 SANTA ANA
WILLIAM TEGELER $9,759.27 $117,111.24 SANTA ANA
COLLIE PROVENCE $9,592.54 $115,110.48 SANTA ANA
JIMMY DALTON $9,493.80 $113,925.60 SANTA ANA
THOMAS SKELLY $9,481.95 $113,783.40 SANTA ANA
CHARLES MILLER $9,427.26 $113,127.12 SANTA ANA
JOHN CHAMBERS $9,357.69 $112,292.28 SANTA ANA
TIMOTHY GRABER $9,352.39 $112,228.68 SANTA ANA
GUADALUPE GARCIA $9,332.61 $111,991.32 SANTA ANA
ROBERT HELTON $9,259.72 $111,116.64 SANTA ANA
RAYMOND DAVIS $9,183.66 $110,203.92 SANTA ANA
CHARLES DEAKINS $9,171.83 $110,061.96 SANTA ANA
WILLIAM SANDLIN $9,106.28 $109,275.36 SANTA ANA
HUGH MOONEY $9,103.43 $109,241.16 SANTA ANA
GERARDO MATA $9,036.53 $108,438.36 SANTA ANA
IRMA MANDELL $8,991.36 $107,896.32 SANTA ANA
GARY ADAMS $8,951.98 $107,423.76 SANTA ANA
RICHARD MARTIN $8,817.42 $105,809.04 SANTA ANA
KEVIN BROWN $8,747.09 $104,965.08 SANTA ANA
DENNIS STUELAND $8,695.57 $104,346.84 SANTA ANA
JAMES DITTMAN $8,640.19 $103,682.28 SANTA ANA
BRUCE LEAMER $8,627.51 $103,530.12 SANTA ANA
ROBERT SAYNE $8,592.21 $103,106.52 SANTA ANA
WILLIAM BARRETT $8,552.88 $102,634.56 SANTA ANA
GARY BIDGOOD $8,537.41 $102,448.92 SANTA ANA
WILLIAM SCHEER $8,409.86 $100,918.32 SANTA ANA
ROBERT STEBBINS $8,390.68 $100,688.16 SANTA ANA
WILLIAM MCCOY $8,384.73 $100,616.76 SANTA ANA
RICHARD BOUCHARD $8,361.09 $100,333.08 SANTA ANA
MICHAEL OVERN $8,353.15 $100,237.80 SANTA ANA
Similar posts appear consecutively, so I’ll reply here.
While some of these paymentsiscreate an outragee, the individual can’t be blamed, for they took a boring job in the public sector, while “everyone else” was riding the dot-com or housing boom.
They put in their time and are being delivered what they were promised.
It kind of makes you want to encourage your children to join the public sector.
Let us not forget that Cal-Pers are aggressive investors who hold a lot of clout on Wall- Street.
Also, I am unclear on weather the “dfund” pays this or the city. If it’s the fund, then the outrage should be muted considerably. Right?
Good digging, Larry!
Sign Me up!
Lets see, can’t be fired, can’t get laid off, and get a HUGE Pension! Sounds like a plan!
So what’s your point Larry? These folks put in a lot of years with the City and are collecting a benefit that was promised to them as part of a legally binding contract. These folks probably put in more years than you did during your career. Maybe you should get a job in the public sector and make a contribution rather than sitting on the sidelines whining.
His point is that this is corruption at it’s worst!
A bunch of public employee’s who are raping the system. When people are working hard and trying to put away a little for retirement. Above is a bunch of crooks who probably sat at a desk all day give lip service to the public now making the public pay for their fat asses!
This makes me sick!
I would love to know what the Caloptima exec’s get???
How many of these retirees are police and fire?
Great job Larry! Looks like it pays to be Dave Ream’s pals…
Brother Hector.
You are clueless about my background. I worked in the private sector for over 40 years creating jobs for others and, when not blogging on the Juice, devote much of my time doing volunteer work for minorities and less fortunate citizens losing their private property.
As to the retirees they obviously did a good job negotiating their pension benefits.
My point is that this is the tip of the iceberg. How many hundreds or thousands will be following them for which someone must provide the benefits.
The list starts at $100,000. Obviously there are many others getting $75,000 to $99,000 who did not make the list.
CoCo Puff.
Perhaps someone in Santa Ana can provide their prior job classifications
Gustavo.
Thank you! Collectively we do our best to provide transparency for our mutual readers.
And congratulations on a well deserved recognition by our readers.
duplojihn.
My sense is that each city has its own retirement plan. Some make the annual contributiom for each employee while others may have a matching plan where the employees kick in from their regular paychecks.
Perhaps an anonymous Santa Ana city employee is willing to educate us on the funding arrangement
Capers lost BILLIONS, and the general taxpayer is required to make up any short fall in funding the future payments.
The list of current 100k pensioners does not reflect that 90 percent of future retirees will start collecting at 100k per year on their 1st year of retirement.
cook.
I am happy that at least one juice reader sees the iceberg ahead.
Travis.
Who do you think will pay?
Those retired and current participant employers
the higher up in santa ana been stealing for years no one can stop them, i hope they rot in thier money.
who really cares.
By the tone of your reply you join the ranks of those who truly care about your city. It’s not easy taking out an elected city offical but it can be done. Simply look at our success in Mission Viejo where we removed a high profile mayor and vice mayor in the same 2002 election
You guys who rant about PERS retirements need to do some more research. If you want to bitch about something, then bitch about the salaries of city managers, department heads, police chiefs (for that matter any police manager) and fire chiefs. Their salary is what drives the amount of their pension. The PERS system is not what is wrong. What is wrong is a city manager from a piss-ant city who is being paid $250,000 a year and then retires at nearly $200,000 pension for the rest of his life. The typical city employee does not earn anywhere near the amounts you are listing above and barely earn enough in their retirement to survive, after working their entire life for a public agency, serving people like yourself who seem to have nothing but contempt for them?
Someone asked for more info on PERS so I will help out. The PERS system is funded by contributions from contracting municipalities and employees. Depending on the employment contract at each city, the city may contribute a portion of the employee’s payment. Think of social security in the private sector. Your employer pays 7% of your salary, the employee pays 7%. Similar for cities but each is unique based on their respective PERS contract. The amount cities pay PERS changes on a regular basis, based on performance of the PERS portfolio and the most recent actuarial. Five to ten years ago most cities were superfunded in PERS as a result of the tremendous success PERS enjoyed in the stock market. This meant that for many years many cities did not pay anything into the system. This is also the period of time when city after city was awarding police officers with the 3% at 50 retirement benefit, which by the way is the single reason most cities are having difficulties now. The city I work in pays 50% of the police officers salary into PERS, EVERY year, and probably every other agency that gave them the 3% at 50 retirement benefit does the same. This means that if the police chief earns $225,000, which he does in my city, his retirement payment to PERS (completely paid by the city, is $112,500 annually. Pissed now? Like I said before, direct your anger at the salaries of the highest earners. As you know, the current economy sucks and this will result in increases during the next few years in the amount cities/employees have to pay into the system.
And one more thing. Am I correct to understand that these are the ONLY retired employees from Santa Ana who earned a retirement benefit of greather than $100,000. Which means that in the entire history of the incorporated city of Santa Ana, these are the only employees who retired at that rate? How many thousands of employees do you think have retired at Santa Ana at less than $100,000? Seriously, you guys really kill me! Find something worth bitching about. How about the destruction of our national pride and respect in the world, our national and world economy, and our personal freedoms by GW and his fellow neocons and captains of industry? And you want to pick fights with city employees who spent a career in public service and earn $100K? Seriously…
Dan.
My issue is not with the rank and file of public entity employees. You are correct in stating that those at the top grab the lions share which must be backfilled by the agency when the market is down as it is this year.
Going to the top recipients is the place to begin if you are looking to address the contractual pension obligations that simply cannot be sustained. Unlike Social Security the PERS sums listed in my post are considerably higher than you will ever get with bankrupt Soc. Sec.
However, we should not “cherry pick” whom to go after. We must acknowledge the simple fact that Defined Benefit plans will eventually bankrupt public agencies unless they can be changed to Defined Contribution, especially for any new hires
s.
Larry…what evidence do you present to support that defined benefit programs will bankrupt public agencies? I believe that the top wage earners, such as city managers, police and fire employees, and other high wage earners are a problem because they create the perception that all city employees earn such benefits. Like I said, it isn’t the rank and file city employees, no, let me change that. It is not the rank and file non-sworn city employees who are potentially bankrupting cities. It is for the most part police and fire retirees who will lead us down the road to insolvency. They are who you should be directing your ire towards. What exactly have they done in their career to earn such rewards. And don’t tell me they put their life on the line every day. Because they don’t. Almost all of them were given the 3% at 50 as a free bonus. They didn’t pay for it. They simply used their political clout on weak city councils. Which leads me to another gripe I have with this. Exactly what is your goal in naming the above employees? Is your hope that you will create a groundswell of hatred and contempt towards them for feeding at the trough? Are you hoping they will, out of shame, return their money to the taxpayers? Will you feel any responsibility if some idiot finds them on the web, along with their addresses, and harasses or actually attempts to harm them or their families. Very irresponsible…
Dan.
Without getting into personal experiences I was able to retired due in part to our private sector Defined Benefit Plan.
My “naming names” was to add reality to the future as more retirees line up to collect their pension benefits. The public simply doesn’t get it. A perfect example is Bonded Indebtedness created by redevelopment agencies without a vote of the public where those obligations do not appear in our property tax bills or our credit card statements. So we divert tax increment funds away from schools, police, fire and special districts without batting an eye. And yes, CA Prop 98 does requre that we backfill education but where will the state find the money if we are broke? Right now the total debt from these agencies, over their terms, exceeds $81 billion dollars and counting yet we bury our heads in the sand.
You are correct in pointing out that the biggest driver is the 3% @ 50 that was negotiated by public safety agencies.
So while they collect said benefits, someone needs to replace them at these agencies making the obligation grow by leaps and bounds.
Don’t get me started with our OCSD services. While we are the safest city in CA one must question our using highly compensated deputies to hide behind bushes to cite drivers for speeding.
While every man in blue puts his life on the line every day in the field we surely are a very low personal risk city as compared to others in Orange County where their police departments and OCSD deputies lives are threatened. There are surely many sworn officers in CA whose families would love to see them transferred to Mission Viejo.
Larry…you appear to have some degree of knowledge about this. Were it not for rda taking on debt to implement new developments where would the tax increment come from? Sounds like you want the development and new tax revenues but don’t want the debt to make it happen? And bear in mind that the rda is the city under a different name. Same city council members that you vote for. The rda is not some evil entity out of the reach of voters. Everything you say seems to have the intent to inflame the conversation. Public employees are not “lining up” to collect their benefits. They’re competing for jobs, many of which require advanced degrees and considerable experience and intelligence, the like of which I RARELY find among my private sector friends.
Dan.
Which issue do you believe I have knowledge of? Defined Benefit pensions, redevelopment financing, or both?
Have you checked the credentials of any part time city council where members who wear two hats serving in both capacities as council members and the redevelopment agency? Do you truly feel they are qualified to fully comprehend and vote on these redevelopment projects or do they simply rubber stamp staff recommendations?
Acting as the city council have they passed any policies enabling the public to vote up or down before any funding of redevelopment projects?
I testified for former Assemblyman/Senator Tom McClintock on that very concept which did not get out of that committee.
Last question. Do you support owners of NFL teams wishing to relocate their teams requesting public funds to subsidize 10 to 12 home games per year?
Hi. Don’t give a damn about professional sports, but when you perform a cost-benefit analysis, does the sports team relocation result in more business for the community and more patrons in local hotels and restaurants. If it does then maybe that’s in the best interest of the community. If not, shitcan the idea. Personally, I don’t think any sports team of any persuasion deserves any financial assistance or funding from any level of government, including high schools, especially universities, and certainly general government. Remember that the city council is elected by the residents. If they are not happy with their performance then do the democratic thing and vote them out next term. Do I agree that the general public should vote on every single action their elected government takes while in office. Hell no. The general public scares the hell out of me. And, finally, I don’t know where your expertise. Tom McClintock does not impress me so that doesn’t mean anything to me. What about my other points in my posts above? Surely they must piss someone off?
Before I get banned from this forum I’ll apologize if I seem inflammatory. Don’t mean to – well, maybe a little. But I enjoy the opportunity to have an intelligent conversation with folks on the right. I don’t often travel in that circle and it’s interesting to hear your thoughts.
Don’t hate the player(s) hate the game….
” I don’t often travel in that circle ”
MQ says:
Are you a union boss then???
We are turning into a hateful nation. Wow a fireman gets a good pension and we get upset. Remember keeping up with the Jonses? Instead of hating a good pensioner, we should tell our kids to get a job like a fireman who gets a good pension, but no. Lets just make everybody poor, iike Mexico. That’s it! Lets be like Mexico and make all public employees poor. Then our public employees will be on the take like Mexico. Eureka!!!