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It's not just the salary that is high - the pension benefit (as is typical for California) is astonishing: Up to 90% of salary at the very early retirement age of 58. These kind of pensions schemes are the reason many states (especially California) are experiencing budgetary crises.

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(1) The California budget crisis was as much political gridlock as anything else and appears to be currently resolved. Certain people used it as a an opportunity to attack public services and public sector unions.

(2) These particular salaries (SF police department) are financed out of local revenues and have nothing to do with the state budget anyway.

(3) The cost of living in SF is sky high as we all know, good for them for paying appropriately if they want to get the best people.

This may not change your view of whether their salary is high or low, but keep in mind that like most public sector workers, they are not eligible for Social Security benefits, and don’t pay Social Security taxes.

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