Top paid state employees of California unmasked as prison shrinks, top cops and financiers

California’s highest-paid employees are a little-known cadre of pension managers, prison workers and patrolmen who pull in as much as $2 million in total compensation on the taxpayer dime, records reveal.The top-earning state worker last year was Stephen Gilmore, chief investment officer at the California Public Employees Retirement System, who netted $2.36 million in total compensation, including a $720,608 salary, nearly $100,000 in benefits and a whopping $1.5 million in “other pay.”The publicly available pay data was compiled by the San Francisco Chronicle.The approximately 250 state workers who made more than $600,000 were largely concentrated in two of California’s massive pension systems — the Public Employees Retirement System and the Teachers’ Retirement System — along with the California Highway Patrol and the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Although Gilmore was the only state worker earning over $2 million in total comp, several other pension bosses netted well over $1 million last year thanks to “other pay,” which can include performance-based bonuses.Managing director Arnold Phillips took home $1.73 million, including $1 million in “other pay,” while deputy investment chief Daniel Bienvenue and executive officer Marcie Frost each earned $1.6 million.

CalPERS is the largest public employees’ retirement system in the United States, with over $600 billion in assets.California prison shrinks are also bringing home some serious dough.

Samita Gandhi, a staff psychiatrist at Corrections and Rehabilitation, was that department’s highest-paid worker with $873,872 in total comp.Chief psychiatrist Olivia Del Pilar and staff shrink Damon Walcott weren’t far behind it $841,878 and $822,971, respectively.Tai Vong, chief of the California Highway Patrol who retired one year ago, made an eye-popping $914,554 in total comp in his final year — including a “lump sum” payment of $398,000.

His fellow chiefs James Mann and...