California taxpayers shelled out more than $1 million to a man linked to a Chinese espionage program, making him the state government's highest-paid worker.
Meng Yu, former chief investment officer of the California Public Employees' Retirement System, received more than $1.7 million in total pay and benefits in 2019, according to the latest financial disclosures obtained by Transparent California, a taxpayer watchdog group.
Under Meng's leadership the pension fund, which covers two million members in the retirement system and 1.5 million members under its health program, has been subject to federal inquiries into its investments in Chinese government entities.
Meng told the propaganda outlet People's Daily that he worked for SAFE out of patriotic commitment to "The motherland."
Rep. Jim Banks, a leading China hawk on Capitol Hill, told the Washington Free Beacon that California owes taxpayers an explanation for how Meng was able to go directly from working for a Chinese entity to being the state's top earner.
Meng's $1.7 million compensation-comprising $1.5 million in pay and roughly $200,000 in benefits-far exceeds that of his predecessor, Theodore Eliopoulos, whom Meng replaced in January 2019.
Meng's 2019 salary also far exceeded that of the second-most compensated California state employee, who made less than $1.3 million.
Tuesday, December 1, 2020
California's Highest-Paid Govt Employee Worked for Org Tied to Chinese Espionage
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