ByKen Epstein
Concerned over budget shortfalls Oakland officials are looking at major cost-saving measures in response to the city’s current pandemic-fueled financial crisis. But often not mentioned in this discussion are the salaries of the city’s most highly paid staff, which gives an indication of how much it costs to run the city.
The website Transparent California (transparentcalifornia.com) readily makes available salary information that can be obtained in the public records for City of Oakland employees. Note that the latest reported salaries are for 2019-2020.
Many of the top salaries in the city were earned by police and fire department officers, swelled by significant overtime pay. But first, here are some top, non-sworn administrative salaries. Typical benefits include vacation, healthcare, pension, and insurance.