10/14/2024

Steven Greenhut: Pay soars in the public sector

STOCKTON – Workers for the city of Stockton who attended the unveiling Wednesday night of a new report detailing trends in public-employee compensation in California complained about cuts in their compensation packages that are causing hardship for them and their city.

But the report, prepared on behalf of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Foundation and released at a meeting of the San Joaquin County Taxpayers Association, left me searching for the world’s smallest violin – that metaphorical instrument I play whenever my kids, or anyone else, starts whining about something that’s largely their own fault.

Stockton is bankrupt, following more than a decade of Bacchanalian feasting on taxpayer dollars, including a lifetime medical benefit bestowed on city employees and most-generous “3 percent at 50” pension plan for its highly paid public safety workers.

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