By Robert Haugh

Transparent California has completed its collection of 2024 public employee compensation data, giving Santa Clara residents and Santa Clara News Online another important tool for tracking how taxpayer dollars are spent.

The nonprofit database says it has obtained records covering more than 93 percent of public employee compensation and pension payments statewide.

That includes nearly 3 million compensation records totaling $278 billion in pay and benefits, plus approximately 1.5 million pension records documenting $64 billion in payments. Wow.

Transparent California collects information from state agencies, counties, cities, school districts and special districts.

Since launching more than a decade ago, the organization says it has posted more than 50 million compensation and pension records, all available to the public for free at TransparentCalifornia.com.

For SCNO, the database is more useful than City staff’s information.

Santa Clara City Hall frequently discusses salaries in terms of base pay or individual contract increases. But the actual cost to taxpayers is higher after benefits, retirement contributions and other compensation are included.

Transparent California provides an independent source that allows reporters and residents to examine those numbers without depending solely on information selected and presented by City staff.

That helps create the kind of transparency Santa Clara City Hall often lacks.

A great example happened at the August 26, 2025, meeting. Assistant City Manager Aracely Azevedo was asked for the City Attorney’s total compensation. She wouldn’t say.  She just said it’s contained in a report.

According to Transparent California, 149,065 California public employees received total compensation exceeding $250,000 in 2024.

Users can search individual employees or government agencies. They can also select “Get notified” on an agency page to receive an alert when new compensation information is posted.

Getting the information isn’t always easy.

Transparent California says delays allowed under state reporting requirements, combined with resistance from some government agencies, are why the organization is only now completing its 2024 collection.

The group is also criticizing proposed Assembly Bill 1821, saying it could effectively give agencies additional time to respond to public records requests while still failing to establish a firm deadline for actually producing the requested records.

“As we see more tax increase proposals appearing, we’re focused on giving the People the data they deserve to see how their existing tax dollars are being spent,” said Todd Maddison, Transparent California’s Director of Research.