Records released on 30 June by California's State Controller's Office show that Travis Martinez, a former Deputy Chief at the Redlands Police Department, was the state's highest-paid public sector worker in 2025, receiving more than $1.2 million despite being on paid administrative leave and not working a single day that year. The case matters because it highlights how public funds can be paid out to an employee who performed no work, at a figure far exceeding the official salary range for the role.

Martinez's total came to roughly $1.26 million, made up of $890,467 in "Other Pay", $231,099 in "Lump-Sum Pay", $81,804 in regular pay and $55,864 in health and retirement benefits. This was several hundred thousand dollars more than the second-highest earner, a Los Angeles Fire Department battalion chief on more than $921,000. The advertised pay range for Martinez's position is between $170,486 and $217,588. He had been on paid leave for 18 months before retiring in April 2025.