Contra Costa County Employee Compensation
Before asking taxpayers for another $150 million a year, it is worth understanding what the county already pays its workforce. In calendar year 2024, Contra Costa County paid its approximately 9,500 full-time employees a combined $1.7 billion in total pay and benefits -- and current union contracts lock in roughly 20% pay increases over four years ending in 2026 and 2027.
Note on data sources: Transparent California reports calendar-year compensation; the California State Controller's payroll data uses the county's fiscal year (July 1 to June 30). The two datasets will not reconcile precisely for this reason. Both are legitimate primary sources drawn from official county payroll records.
The big picture: 2024 payroll
Statistics below cover employees with base pay of $50,000 or more -- a proxy for full-time, full-year employees. This yields approximately 9,471 workers out of 12,541 records in the Transparent California dataset. Part-time, per-diem, and seasonal employees are excluded from the summary figures but are present in the top-25 table if their total compensation ranked highly.
25 highest-paid employees, 2024
Ranked by total pay and benefits. Data source: Transparent California. Emergency medicine physicians employed directly by the county and fire battalion chiefs are prominent at the top. The Sheriff-Coroner and County Administrator also appear in the top 20.
| # | Employee | Job Title | Regular Pay | Total Pay | Benefits | Total Pay & Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ritu Malik | Emergency Medicine-Exempt | $324,703 | $622,138 | $127,831 | $749,969 |
| 2 | Neil Jayasekera | Emergency Medicine-Exempt | $324,703 | $556,663 | $128,679 | $685,342 |
| 3 | Anna Roth | Director of Health Services | $474,229 | $519,750 | $137,511 | $657,261 |
| 4 | Robert Atlas | Battalion Chief-56 Hour | $223,523 | $438,401 | $207,528 | $645,930 |
| 5 | Pyra Aarden | Emergency Medicine-Exempt | $324,703 | $504,494 | $127,783 | $632,277 |
| 6 | Rachel Steinhart | Emergency Medicine-Exempt | $324,703 | $488,238 | $128,559 | $616,797 |
| 7 | David Woods | Fire Captain-Paramedic/40 Hr | $181,526 | $441,783 | $173,845 | $615,628 |
| 8 | Greg Sawyer | Battalion Chief-56 Hour | $223,523 | $402,498 | $207,106 | $609,604 |
| 9 | William Small | Fire Captain-Paramedic/56 Hour | $181,526 | $440,199 | $169,075 | $609,274 |
| 10 | David Livingston | Sheriff-Coroner | $333,999 | $357,571 | $248,337 | $605,908 |
| 11 | Lewis Broschard | Fire Chief-Contra Costa | $295,830 | $345,372 | $259,501 | $604,873 |
| 12 | Sonia Sutherland | Medical Director | $409,657 | $449,989 | $154,802 | $604,792 |
| 13 | Angela Rodgers | Emergency Medicine-Exempt | $324,703 | $545,932 | $47,193 | $593,125 |
| 14 | Charles Stark | Deputy Fire Chief-Exempt | $270,280 | $338,207 | $253,910 | $592,117 |
| 15 | Darren Johnson | Battalion Chief-Special Dist | $202,795 | $344,182 | $246,294 | $590,476 |
| 16 | David Watson | Asst Fire Chief-Exempt | $242,270 | $359,558 | $221,972 | $581,530 |
| 17 | Monica Nino | County Administrator | $464,685 | $471,885 | $107,395 | $579,280 |
| 18 | Vito Impastato | Asst Fire Chief-Exempt | $242,270 | $356,899 | $221,527 | $578,425 |
| 19 | Jeff Burris | Battalion Chief-56 Hour | $222,654 | $388,219 | $189,619 | $577,838 |
| 20 | Jamie Smart | Fire Captain-Paramedic/56 Hour | $181,526 | $413,258 | $164,308 | $577,566 |
| 21 | Ori Tzvieli | Medical Director | $409,657 | $444,306 | $129,546 | $573,852 |
| 22 | Sean Carder | Fire Captain-Paramedic/56 Hour | $181,526 | $398,038 | $167,866 | $565,904 |
| 23 | Gabriela Sullivan | Medical Director | $409,657 | $443,648 | $122,218 | $565,866 |
| 24 | Sunthara Hay | OB/GYN-Full Spectrum-Exempt | $299,485 | $438,675 | $126,677 | $565,353 |
| 25 | Jonathan Lemke | Battalion Chief-56 Hour | $220,047 | $358,124 | $205,516 | $563,640 |
Source: Transparent California, calendar year 2024. "Regular Pay" is base salary as reported. "Total Pay" includes base, overtime, and other pay. "Benefits" includes the county's cost for retirement, health, and other benefits. Figures may differ from the California State Controller's fiscal-year data for the reasons described above.
What the union contracts say
Contra Costa County's workforce is covered by more than 20 separate Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) negotiated with individual unions and union coalitions. The contracts in force as of 2024 lock in substantial wage increases through 2026 and 2027 -- regardless of whether Measure B passes or fails. The full list of MOUs is available at contracosta.ca.gov.
AFSCME, SEIU, Teamsters, WCE (2022 -- 2026)
- 5% general wage increase effective August 2022
- 5% effective July 1, 2023
- 5% effective July 1, 2024
- 5% effective July 1, 2025
- Covers clerical, social services, technical, and maintenance workers across the county
- County also contributed $750/year into HSA accounts for qualifying employees
DSA Rank & File and Probation Units (2023 -- 2027)
- 5% general wage increase effective July 1, 2023
- 5% effective July 1, 2024
- 5% effective July 1, 2025
- 5% effective July 1, 2026
- $10,000 hiring bonus for entry-level deputy sheriff recruits
- Deputy pay range growing from $102,641 -- $130,999 (2023) to $118,820 -- $151,648 by 2026 -- 2027
International Association of Firefighters (2023 -- 2027)
- 6.25% general wage increase effective August 2023
- 5% effective July 1, 2024
- 5% effective July 1, 2025
- 5% effective July 1, 2026
- 56-hour shift employees receive an additional 2.61% FLSA pay on top of base
- Firefighters also receive uniform allowances, paramedic pay differentials, and overtime at premium rates
Key takeaway: Every major bargaining unit at Contra Costa County has negotiated roughly 20% or more in cumulative wage increases between 2022 and 2027. These increases are contractually locked in and will be paid regardless of any federal funding changes. Measure B's backers -- including the public employee unions themselves -- are asking taxpayers to fund a new $750 million tax over five years while the county's wage obligations have already grown substantially.
Pensions and retirement benefits: what private-sector workers don't get
Beyond wages, county employees participate in the Contra Costa County Employees' Retirement Association (CCCERA), a defined-benefit pension system that guarantees lifetime monthly income beginning as early as age 50 for safety members. These benefits are largely unavailable in the private sector, where defined-benefit plans have been almost entirely replaced by 401(k) plans.
Legacy pension formulas (pre-2013 hires)
Employees hired before the 2013 PEPRA pension reform may retire under significantly more generous formulas:
- Legacy general members: 2% at 55 -- a 30-year employee retiring at 55 collects 60% of final salary for life
- Legacy safety members (firefighters, deputies): 3% at 50 -- a 30-year employee can retire at 50 and collect 90% of highest-year salary for life
- Cost-of-living adjustments are built into the benefit structure
- Survivors may receive ongoing benefits after a member's death
PEPRA new-hire formulas (post-2013)
Employees hired on or after January 1, 2013 are subject to the reduced PEPRA formulas, though these are still substantially more generous than typical private-sector retirement options:
- General PEPRA members: 2% at 62
- Safety PEPRA members: 2.7% at 57
- Pensionable compensation is capped (at $191,679 in 2026 for members not in Social Security)
- Employees must contribute at least 50% of the normal cost toward their own pension
Additional benefits not commonly offered in the private sector
County MOUs also provide employees with benefits that are rarely matched outside government employment:
- Retiree health coverage: Long-tenured employees vest into county-subsidized health insurance in retirement
- Union release time: The county pays employees for time spent on union business -- up to 300 hours annually for the DSA and up to 320 hours for SEIU stewards
- Bilingual pay differentials for employees who use a second language on the job
- Safety shoe and prescription eyewear reimbursements written directly into MOUs
- Hiring bonuses of up to $10,000 for sworn deputies and similar premium positions
The employer's pension cost
CCCERA's employer contribution rates -- paid by the county on top of employees' own contributions -- vary by cost group and tier but represent a substantial percentage of payroll for safety members in particular.
- For legacy safety members (firefighters, deputies), the combined employer-employee pension cost can represent 40% or more of base pay
- Benefits costs in the Transparent California data -- averaging $51,647 per full-time employee -- include pension contributions, health insurance, and other benefits paid by the county
- These costs grow automatically as wages increase under MOU contracts, compounding the total cost to taxpayers
A county paying $1.7 billion in compensation doesn't need a new sales tax.
The county has the reserves, the budget, and the flexibility to manage a projected $60 million per year gap without asking every Contra Costa shopper to pay more.