SeeCalifornia.com

Yes, this picture at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, Calif. is a little tilted (just for fun!) 

They say it’s not polite to ask how much a person gets paid in their job but did you know that President of the United States gets  paid $400,000 per year? When it comes to public officials, it’s not just OK to ask how much they make, it’s a right. California State Controller John Chiang says, “Making compensation of public employees transparent provides taxpayers with the ability to be more informed and active in local government decisions.” He announced the latest wage and benefit data for California city and county employees available for your inspection (publicpay.ca.gov). We’ve posted the top 10 paid city servants, and by comparison, show what the average “Joe” makes in each city, helping to pay for the salary of the top-paid city worker.

Highest Paid City Officials in California  | City Population | Residents’ Annual Average Income  

1. Buena Park City Manager $545,394 (82,155 residents, $23,368 per capita annual income…it will take more than 23 years for you to earn 1 year’s salary of your city manager in Buena Park!)
2. Pleasant Hill City Attorney $465,209 (33,831 residents, $41,990 per capita income)
3. Milpitas Fire Battalion Chief – 40 hr $461,212 (68,800 residents, $33,458 per capita income)
4. Carlsbad City Manager $459,222 (109,318 residents, $42,742 per capita income)
5. Fountain Valley City Manager $459,144 (56,464 residents, $33,973 per capita income)
6. Menifee City Manager $440,415 (81,474 residents, $23,356 per capita income)
7. Temecula City Manager $416,994 (105,208 residents, $28,277 per capita income)
8. Millbrae Fire Chief $416,931 (22,078 residents, $41,433 per capita income)
9. Vernon Fire Chief $400,839 (114 residents, $21,449 per capita income)
10. Milpitas Chief of Police $379,251 (68,800 residents, $33,458 per capita income)

Population and 2012 income date from U.S. Department of Commerce United States Census Bureau