{"id":945,"date":"2026-05-08T08:31:32","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T08:31:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sandiegorelocationnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/08\/as-californias-spending-grows-so-has-the-states-workforce-and-salary-costs-6\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T08:31:32","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T08:31:32","slug":"as-californias-spending-grows-so-has-the-states-workforce-and-salary-costs-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandiegorelocationnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/08\/as-californias-spending-grows-so-has-the-states-workforce-and-salary-costs-6\/","title":{"rendered":"As California\u2019s spending grows, so has the state\u2019s workforce and salary costs"},"content":{"rendered":"

The amount of money that California spends on its workforce has grown by $6 billion since fiscal year 2019-20, which has coincided with a significant increase in the number of people who work for state government.<\/p>

Read more Whiter, wealthier primary voters may shape California\u2019s governor race<\/a><\/p>

The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst\u2019s Office reported the growth of employee compensation costs as part of a broader analysis of General Fund spending trends, which found California\u2019s spending from this fund has grown by $102 billion between fiscal years 2019-20 and 2026\u201127, which is based on the governor\u2019s proposed budget. That spending growth is largely because the cost to sustain existing programs and to fund schools has increased in those years.<\/p>

State operation costs \u2014 which involve the collection of taxes and fees, the delivery of state grants and other administrative functions \u2014 account for 9% of that growth, which is primarily driven by increases to compensation for state employees.<\/p>

The reason for that growth is twofold, the LAO reported: \u201cSpecifically, about half of the increase in total employee compensation appears to be associated with growth in the number of filled positions (full-time equivalents), while the other half reflects higher per\u2011employee costs due to increases in salaries and benefits for existing positions.\u201d<\/p>

According to , the number of civil service positions has increased 23% between fiscal years 2017-18 and 2024-25.<\/p>

When Gov. Gavin Newsom took office in January 2019, the executive branch was home to 213,000 positions. Last fiscal year, the number of positions within the executive branch grew to 254,000.<\/p>