Thread: Watchdog Report | Digging into San Diego's finances

Watchdog Report | Digging into San Diego's finances

City's payroll surged in '08

San Diego is in a constant financial crisis. Why did it pay its city employees millions more last year?

By Eleanor Yang Su and Craig Gustafson, STAFF WRITERS, and AgustÃ*n Armendariz, STAFF DATA SPECIALIST
2:00 a.m. June 28, 2009
(Aaron Steckelberg / Union-Tribune) -

THE SERIES
Today: The city's payroll shot up $41 million last year, even as the mayor confronted a budget shortfall and pledged to rein in spending.
Tomorrow: Thousands of city employees receive special payouts and unusual benefits that are pushing personnel expenses higher than ever.
Tuesday: Pay for city employees has grown increasingly top-heavy in the past several years. One out of eight workers took home at least $100,000 last year.
Online: Search a database of the city's payroll at http://data.uniontrib.com/ san-diego/payroll/.
Online: Find other Union-Tribune Watchdog Reports at http://www3.signonsandiego. com/news/metro/watchdog

San Diego's payroll ballooned by $41 million last year, fueled by unpublicized payouts, labor settlements and costly benefits, an analysis by The San Diego Union-Tribune has found.

The increase belies rhetoric by both union leaders and Mayor Jerry Sanders about frozen salaries and labor cost reductions.

Employee compensation grew by 6 percent last year, nearly twice the average salary increase for local and state government employees nationwide, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Private industry salary increases averaged 2.6 percent.

The newspaper analyzed salary, overtime and other compensation paid to each of the city's 12,000 full-time, part-time and seasonal workers. The data, obtained through a California Public Records Act request, showed:

About 80 percent of city employees took home more money in 2008 than the previous year.

Nearly 900 employees received pay increases exceeding 10 percent last year. About 1,400 workers saw double-digit increases when overtime was factored in.

The proportion and number of city employees making at least $100,000 have almost tripled in the past six years. Thirteen percent of the payroll is in this top category.

Last year's $41 million boost in payroll was more than the increases of the past four years added together. It was equivalent to the city giving an additional $3,400 to each employee.

It helps put into perspective the $43 million in wage and benefit reductions that will take effect July 1 to address a budget gap. Sanders portrays the 6 percent reductions as historic and difficult, yet the savings are about the same as last year's growth in payroll.

Throughout his three years as mayor, Sanders has trumpeted “tough fiscal discipline.â€

5 council members haven't filed paperwork to cut pay, benefits
By Craig Gustafson
Union-Tribune Staff Writer
2:00 a.m. June 28, 2009

SAN DIEGO — So much for solidarity.

Five of the eight San Diego City Council members have not filed paperwork that would be required to reduce their pay and benefits and those of their staff by 6 percent.

Mayor Jerry Sanders called on council members to lead by example in taking the same cuts they asked of – and, in some cases, forced on – roughly 10,000 union employees two months ago to help close a nearly $83 million budget deficit.

Council members would have to submit paperwork by Tuesday for it to take effect with the new fiscal year on Wednesday. Council members have used several rationales to avoid taking the cuts.

They all gave up a $9,600 annual auto allowance, which they would have been forced to give up Wednesday by a legal opinion. Two say they never entered the city's pension system, each saving the city more than $19,000 annually. Others say no cuts are needed because they already chose to pay their staff less than their predecessors.

Or, as Councilwoman Marti Emerald put it, “Honestly, I can't afford to give any more.â€

608 workers retire to lock in benefits

By Helen Gao
Union-Tribune Staff Writer
2:00 a.m. June 29, 2009

PUTTING IN: BY THE NUMBERS

San Diego city retirements, first half of each year:
608: 2009
185: 2008
156: 2007

SAN DIEGO — More than 600 city employees have put in for retirement this year, triple the number from last year, an uptick unions attribute to city cuts in benefits that go into effect in July.

One of them is the San Diego Central Library's own Ms. Information.
Anna Daniels has been helping people with questions for 24 years at the information desk on the first floor.

“I thought I would be working until I drop dead,â€