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Highest paid El Segundo City Employee in 2009

Posted on August 17, 2010 by Mike

by Michael D. Robbins
Director, Public Safety Project, PublicSafetyProject.org

August 17, 2010

SWORN POLICE OFFICERS

Generally, El Segundo sworn police officers, from lowest level Police Officer up to Police Captain, are by far the highest paid city employees except for sworn firefighters. Police Chief David Cummings was by far the highest paid city employee in calendar year 2009.

    Highest Paid El Segundo City Employee in Calendar Year 2009

Former El Segundo Police Chief David Cummings, who retired in 2009 with about eleven weeks left in the year, had total 2009 compensation of about $596,657, including his city contract and CalPERS pension income while he continued working as the El Segundo Police Chief after his retirement. Cummings’ post-retirement City employment contract acknowledged that he would be receiving his $210,000 per year CalPERS pension income while he continued working as the City’s police chief after his retirement.

Below are two tables, one showing how former El Segundo Police Chief David Cummings was paid a total of at least $596,657 in 2009, and the second showing how Cummings’ salary, vacation and sick leave payout, and pension were all spiked by the 23% raise he was given about a year before his retirement. Following these two tables is a list of links to related documents.

The following is an in-line HTML table containing the formatted spreadsheet data of former El Segundo Police Chief David Cummings’ calendar year 2009 total compensation and pension income.

Note: This Public Records Act request data was provided by the City of El Segundo, California on December 15, 2010 in response to a PRA request made by Michael D. Robbins on December 5, 2010. It is provided here as a courtesy of Michael D. Robbins and the Public Safety Project, P.O. Box 2193, El Segundo, CA 90245, PublicSafetyProject.org. The estimated (calculated) data and additional data annotations were provided by Michael D. Robbins.

David Cummings – El Segundo, California Police Chief
Paid in Calendar Year 2009
   
Pay and Income for the first 41 weeks (289 days) of 2009
(1/1/09-10/16/09):		  
   
Regular Earnings 225,627
Special Compensation (Uniform Allowance) 480
Regular Earnings + Special Comp 226,107
Leave Payout (Vacation and Sick Leave Payout) 199,668
Total Earnings 425,775
   
   
CalPERS Pension – Employer Contribution – Paid by the Employer (City) 48,894
Percentage of Regular Earnings + Special Comp – Paid by the Employer (City) 21.6%
   
CalPERS Pension – Employee Contribution – Paid by the Employer (City) 16,755
Percentage of Regular Earnings + Special Comp – Paid by the Employer (City) 7.4%
   
CalPERS Pension – Employee Contribution – Paid by the Employee 0
Percentage of Regular Earnings + Special Comp – Paid by the Employee 0.0%
   
CalPERS Pension – Employee Contribution – Total Amount Paid 16,755
Percentage of Regular Earnings + Special Comp 7.4%
   
TOTAL CALPERS PENSION CONTRIBUTIONS PAID BY THE EMPLOYER (CITY) 65,649
Percentage of Regular Earnings + Special Comp – Total Paid by the Employer (City) 29.0%
   
NOTE: CalPERS pension contributions were made for the period 1/1/09 – 10/16/09 (41 weeks)  
   
   
401(a) Deferred Compensation Plan  
401(a) Deferred Compensation Plan – Amount Paid by Employer (City) 11,592
401(a) Deferred Compensation Plan – Amount Paid by the Employee 0
401(a) Deferred Compensation Plan – Total Amount Paid 11,592
Annual Regular Earnings + Special Comp for period 9/27/08 – 9/25/09 231,839
Percentage of Regular Earnings + Special Comp 5.0%
   
Total Insurance Benefits Paid by the Employer (City)  
A D & D 17
Dental 853
Life Insurance 154
Long Term Disability 692
Executive Long Term Disability 1,031
Vision 168
TOTAL 2,915
   
Post-Employment Health Insurance for 11/09 & 12/09 2,302
   
2009 TOTAL EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION 508,233
   
   
Pay and Income for the last 11 weeks (76 days) of 2009 (10/17/09 – 12/31/09):  
   
Estimated Contract Employee Pay 43,956
(At $111 per hour x 36 hours per week average x 11 weeks)  
   
Estimated CalPERS Pension Double-Dipping Income 44,468
(At $210,213.36 per year for 11 weeks)  
   
ESTIMATED TOTAL 2009 EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION AND PENSION INCOME 596,657
(All pension income was obtained while “double-dipping” by working as a contract employee El Segundo City Police Chief)  

    Regular Earnings, Leave Payout, and Pension Benefit Spike

Police Chief David Cummings received a 23% pay increase effective October 1, 2008, about a year before his retirement, which spiked his 2009 total earnings and leave payout, and his annual pension. The raise spiked his regular earnings by $42,190 (from $183,437 to $225,627), and his accumulated vacation and sick leave payout (cash-out) value by $37,336 (from $162,332 to $199,668), for a total earnings spike of $79,527. His annual pension was spiked by an estimated $39,308 (from $170,905 to $210,213).

Police officers and firefighters are credited and allowed to accumulate and roll-over from year to year huge numbers of vacation and sick leave hours, which can be cashed out at a higher pay rate in later years and upon retirement. His total 2009 earnings was $425,775 – consisting of $225,627 Regular Earnings, $480 Special Compensation, and $199,668 Leave Payout. He retired in 2009 with a pension of $210,213.36 yearly ($17,517.78 monthly) according to CaliforniaPensionReform.com, plus medical insurance, for the rest of his life.

The following table summarizes Police Chief David Cummings’ spikes resulting from his 23% raise.

  Regular Earnings Special Comp. Overtime Leave Payout Total Earnings Yearly Pension
Before 23% Raise 183,437 480 0 162,332 346,248 170,905
After 23% Raise 225,627 480 0 199,668 425,775 210,213
Spike Amount 42,190 0 0 37,336 80,007 39,308

The reason given for Cummings’ 23% pay increase that spiked his pay, leave payout, and pension was salary compaction, also known as salary compression, caused by large pay increases given to the police union members.

Links to Related Documents: … Continue reading →

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