Watsonville Pensions: What Retirees Are Receiving

More than 836 retired school, city and other public employees in Watsonville are collecting pensions, a few of them receiving more than $100,000 a year.

The retirement compensation is part of a list posted by the San Jose Mercury News and other newspapers.

The CalPERS list was unveiled as the state Legislature last week approved a pension reform bill that is now on Gov. Jerry Brown's desk.

Among other reforms, the legislation raises the retirement age for most new employees from 55 to 67 to receive full benefits. It also eliminates so-called "double dipping" and caps the pensions of highly paid retired workers.

Some employees are collecting CalPERS pension from more than one agency. Howver, teachers don't receive Social Security benefits.

In the , there are 648 retirees listed who are receiving CalPERS pensions.

At the top is Cathy Iglesias, who was earning $13,811.70 a month when she retired after working more than 37 years in the district. Iglesias collects about $11,704.78 a month in pension, or more than $140,000 a year.

Next is Maryanne Mays, superintendent, who was earning $13,606.25 a month when she retired after working more than 30 years in the district. Pow collects about $9,712 a month in pension, or more than $116,500 a year.

There are five other retirees listed who collect more than $7,000 a month, or more than $84,000 a year.

At the bottom of the list, there is one retiree who receives $336.82 each month.

The City of Watsonville has 180 retirees on the list.

The retiree collecting the most is retired Police Chief Terry Medina. He was paid $19,726.75 a month when he retired at age 63 after working more than 42 years for the police department, the county and as a military police officer. He now collects—before taxes—about $16,620 a month in pension, or about $189,487.12 annually.

Retired Watsonville police officers and firefighters account for eight of the top 10 highest pension receivers in the city, all grossing $90,000 or more annually.

There are also 27 retirees listed who are collecting at least $10,000 a month, or $120,000 a year.

On the flip side, there are four retirees listed who received less than $2,000 in all of 2011.

Curtailing retirement costs has been a priority in Watsonville in recent years. City leaders have negotiated changes to pension programs with employee bargaining units, including

Also on the list are five retired Pajaro Valley Public Cemetery District employees and three retirees from the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency. All receive a range of $5,000-$34,000 in pension funds annually.

Don't miss a thing in Watsonville! Get the FREE Patch newsletter each morning. Register here. Like Patch on Facebook and follow Patch on Twitter.