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State controller unveils website disclosing city, county employees' salaries
The State Controller is releasing a list of government employees salaries after scandal arose around Bell's City Manager and his nearly million dollar compensation
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Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images
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The state Controller's Office unveiled a website today listing the salaries, pension benefits and other compensation for more than 594,000 city and county employees throughout California.
The website is expected to be expanded by next summer to include state and special-district employees.
"The absence of transparency and accountability invites corruption, self-dealing and the abuse of public funds,'' Controller John Chiang said. "This website will help taxpayers scrutinize local government compensation and force public officials to account for how they spend public resources.''
The website -- http://sco.ca.gov/compensation_search.html -- includes elected officials and public employees.
According to Chiang's office, 83 percent of California cities and counties complied with the requirements imposed in August to submit the data. Cities and counties that fail to provide the information could face a $5,000 penalty.
The website, which is expected to be updated weekly, is in response to the scandal that broke out in Bell, where some elected officials and administrators were found to be earning lofty salaries.
Eight current and former Bell officials have been charged with misappropriating public funds.
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