Fullerton’s $100,000 Pension Club Welcomes 15 New Members

It’s been almost a year since we published the original list of retired Fullerton public employees earning over $100,000 per year in pensions.

Since then we have learned that our state’s unfunded pension liability has grown to over $500 billion dollars. Our Friends over at California Pension Reform have updated their list of CalPERS pensions, bringing on fifteen new “hundred grand” members from Fullerton this year. That’s an increase of 40% in a single year.

So let’s see who is getting the most from largess from taxpayers. New members are in bold:

Name Annual Pension Position
JAMES “JIM” REED $166,781.88 Fire
GEOFFREY SPALDING $149,852.88 Police
GREGORY MAYES $148,889.40 Police
MICHAEL MAYNARD $140,317.20 Police
DANIEL CHIDESTER $139,416.72 Fire
FRANK PAUL DUDLEY $133,821.00 Development Services Director
ALLEN BURKS $133,782.36 Police
DOUGLAS CAVE $130,761.36 Police
GLENN STEINBRINK $127,533.00 Administrative Director
ANTONIO HERNANDEZ $127,402.20 Police
H SUSAN HUNT $126,970.80 Director of Park and Recreation
STEVEN MATSON $126,430.68 Police
RONNY ROWELL $125,168.40 Police
TERRY STRINGHAM $123,482.28 Fire
GEORGE NEWMAN $121,410.60
RICHARD RILEY $121,113.36
MARK FLANNERY $120,934.68 Director of Personnel
DAVID STANKO $120,279.84 Police
ROBERT HODSON $119,956.08 Director of Engineering
ROBERT “BOB” RICHARDSON $119,720.88 Police
PATRICK MCKINLEY $118,446.48 Chief of Police
DANIEL BECERRA $116,917.20 Police
NEAL BALDWIN $116,740.68 Police
PHILIP GOEHRING $115,076.04 Police
BRAD HOCKERSMITH $115,053.84 Fire
JEFFREY ROOP $113,618.88 Police
KURT BERTUZZI $109,255.08 Fire
LINDA KING $108,168.84 Police
DONALD “DON” PEARCE $107,972.76 Police
CAROLYN JOHNSON $107,179.80 Library Director
TIMOTHY JANOVICK $106,330.44
PAUL TURNEY $105,747.12
RONALD “RON” GILLETT $105,499.56 Police
ARTHUR WIECHMANN $104,153.76 Police
JONATHON “JON” MCAULAY $102,034.80 Fire
RICHARD HUTCHINSON $101,822.16
JOHN PIERSON $101,524.92
HUGH BERRY $100,488.84 Assistant City Manager
WILLIAM KENDRICK $100,194.48 Police

Remember… public employee pensions are negotiated between the unions and our city council. It’s time to figure out who has been representing the taxpayers and who has been sticking up for the unions.

30 Replies to “Fullerton’s $100,000 Pension Club Welcomes 15 New Members”

  1. You’ll be able to add the current City manager onto that list pretty soon. Been with the city forever. Ca-chingo!

    1. Tell that to the families of firefighters who have perrished in the line of duty, to help others.

      Should there be any reward for risking there families fathers or mothers everytime they go to work!!!!! Hmm
      lets really think about what our rescue workers are doing for us..

  2. as a fullerton lifer, Carolyn Johnson did a lousy job as library director. Compared to the anaheim library system, fullerton’s library had a funky online card catalogue that always neccessitated asking the reference librarian for help in finding books, new and or controversial books took their time getting to our library’s shelves while there was no shortage of 1930’s British “who done it” mystery novels available to the transients who roosted in the library.
    My criticism of our library is a moot point since the advent of the internet, kindle and amazon.com makes libraries as necessary to us as buggy whips. though most people don’t use libraries anymore, the taxpayer will still need to pay dinosaur Johnson’s pension.

  3. We have GOT to put an end to this type of back room dealing to spike public employees pensions. I do not believe it is the fault of our public employees. Who wouldn’t take a six-figure pension for life? We need to focus on our elected officials who sell their votes to the unions in order to remain “in power”. Get a real job outside of politics you losers. That might better prepare you to govern.

  4. The average public employee makes 40% MORE than an employee in the private sector. Unbelieveable………………..

  5. We’ll be posting more on public employee pensions later today where we show how retired double-dippers gouge tax payers. Stay tuned.

  6. Travis,

    Being more familiar with the people and the roles they played in both of our school districts; please consider adding the same list for the CalSTRS $100,000 club members. That list includes notables like the destroyer of the California Constitution himself, Cameron McCune at $243,905 a year. The list also includes a child psychologist who reinvented himself into a voracious tax dollar wasting Decepticon otherwise known as Director of Information Services at $141,939 a year. That list includes just shy of $3 million of annual pensions among twenty four $100K+ club members.

    1. No, I saw it Travis. I just thought was worth repeating here. I have to go back to my duct tape now.

  7. Hey guys I appreciate the ire that is directed towards those that get these pensions. Would it be possible to list the years of service to Fullerton by their names? Not that I think they all deserve it but if someone spends 30 years in the Fire department saving lives, maybe $100K isnt as bad as someone who comes in for 5 years from another agency to spike their pensions.

    Also, on a positive note, can we see a list of those folks that have served for many years and arent sucking at the public trough? I am sure you have to have some Pension Heros on there that served for 20 – 30 years and arent taking much more than any person would in the private sector. I would love to highlight any true Public Servants that have come through the city. What do you say?

  8. Another Annon,

    The point of the post is not to slam the individuals who are receiving the pensions. Obviously I am slamming individuals whom I specifically mention, but the point of the post is to highlight the absolute insanity of the dollars involved. I would agree that pension spiking behavior is bad, but what is really bad is the inbred nature of our public compensation system. I’m so sick of people saying things like, “spends 30 years in the Fire department saving lives…” as though that person were more important than the baker who feeds people or the painter who preserves our homes. I know a lot of Fireman and I don’t know a single one who took the job because he wanted to sacrifice. They sought those jobs because they are awesome, fulfilling, high paying careers. Those jobs should be paid based upon market conditions same as every other job in the private sector. It is this kind of entitlement thinking that has gotten us to this tragic point.

    1. Chris, you bring up a good point. I like to kid with my firefighter friends that the FD is the rec club of employment with their countless BBQ’s, La-Z-Boys, gyms, etc. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the fire houses had hot tubs. Sometimes someone will speak up and say something like “you couldn’t stomache the sights they have to see, the carnage” etc. The fire department and police departments have NEVER had dificulty recruiting. There is always an endless supply of qualified candidates even though the departments keep raising their arguable standards. Think supply and demand. There is no shortage of demand so why raise the salaries and pensions so high?

  9. Annon, it’s safe to assume that all of these pensioners put in the full 30 years, for which they were fully compensated.

    The problem is that we still don’t know how much that 30 years of service will ultimately cost us taxpayers. You see, when the deals were made, our foolhardy representatives were deceived and lied to by the union, CalPERS staff and our own accountants as to the ultimate cost of these benefit packages.

    Now it’s 2010 and the truth is coming out. The bill is much larger than we ever conceived. So large, in fact, that it may ultimately bankrupt our government.

    We were tricked. This is a list of the beneficiary’s of the deception. Whether they like it or not, their compensation is public record and we deserve to know the ultimate cost of for their service.

    Do you see the point now?

    1. They are not all pompous hose jockeys Edna. Many of them are very cool guys who cannot even themselves believe what they are paid. This is the voters fault. Not the fireman’s fault. I support capitalism and it predictable by that philosophy that the fireman would seek the highest compensation possible. We are the jackasses who did not fight harder to elect people who act as the employers of public employees and not as the whores of public employees.

      1. Right. The laws of supply and demand suggest that when a job opening creates a half-mile long line, the job is paying way too much. Unfortunately our “fiscal conservatives” on the City Council cannot grasp that. Maybe it’s because four of them are current or former government employees.

  10. another anon , I earned a masters degree and have put in 25 years. I can’t retire for another 10 years and maybe I will get a $50,000/year pension, maybe not since it took a big hit due to wall street raiding it.

  11. I should have been a cop so I too could drain the city of all it’s money after working I retired at 60.

  12. Therein lies the problem Mr. Thompson: This is not capitalism. No where in the constitution are we afforded the right to have a fire fighter and their services. I would much rather pay for the service rather than have it assumed that I want the service.

    Add to that:

    There is typically MANY more applicants for a Fire Fighting position than the one position offered. I am willing to bet if we paid minimum wage there would still be MANY that would want to operate as a fireman. That would be capitalism.

    Cheers.

  13. Im Surprised they fired John Cross after the association President negotiated all those Pensions and the most signifgant pay raises.

  14. GLENN STEINBRINK $127,533.00: Administrative Director………….wasn’t Steinbrink the guy that kept telling the city council that Fullerton was doing fine even though we were in the middle of a recession?

  15. When I’m called to duty God
    wherever flames may rage
    give me strength to save a life
    whatever be its age

    Help me to embrace a little child
    before it is too late
    or save an older person from
    the horror of that fate

    Enable me to be alert
    to hear the weakest shout
    and quickly and efficiently
    to put the fire out

    I want to fill my calling and
    to give the best in me
    to guard my neighbor and
    protect his property

    And if according to your will
    I have to lose my life
    bless with your protecting hand
    my children and my wife.

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