Former Newsom Advisor Received $50,000 Payout After Leaving State Job Amid Federal Probe

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom’s erstwhile main of staff, Dana Williamson, near authorities work pinch 2 things: a national corruption investigation and much than $50,000 successful salary for picnic clip she accrued but ne'er took.

State payroll records reviewed by The Times show Williamson utilized astir $30,000 successful unused picnic clip to stay connected California’s payroll done Jan. 31 — 7 weeks aft Newsom’s agency indicated she had departed — earlier collecting an further $22,000 lump-sum payout for nan hours she had left.

Large cash-outs for departing authorities workers pinch hundreds of hours of clip disconnected connected nan books person been a recurring rumor successful California. The state’s unfunded liability for picnic and different time off owed to labor has ballooned successful caller years to $5.6 billion, fueled by generous time-off provisions and a long-standing nonaccomplishment to enforce policies that headdress astir employees’ picnic balances astatine 640 hours.

Many authorities workers accumulate ample balances of unused picnic aft decades of being connected nan authorities payroll. The emblematic nationalist worker retires pinch more than 2 decades successful nationalist service, according nan California Public Employees’ Retirement System. Their unused clip disconnected is paid erstwhile they time off authorities employment astatine their last complaint of pay.

Williamson, however, amassed 462 hours of unused time off successful little than 2 years connected nan job. She earned $19,612 a period arsenic nan governor’s main of staff.

John Moorlach, head astatine nan blimpish deliberation vessel nan Center for Public Accountability astatine nan California Policy Center, said that a occupation for illustration Williamson had astir apt progressive incredibly agelong workdays but that nan gait successful which labor accumulate days disconnected is simply a awesome financial burden.

“A normal blue-collar worker would say, ‘Really? Really?“” said Moorlach, a erstwhile Republican authorities legislator from Orange County. “You don’t find this perk successful nan backstage sector.”

Williamson notified Newsom successful November 2024 that she was nether national investigation and was put connected paid administrative time off done Dec. 16, nan governor’s agency said.

Federal charges against Williamson, which were revenge successful November 2025, allege she siphoned $225,000 retired of a dormant authorities run relationship belonging to gubernatorial hopeful Xavier Becerra and illegally claimed $1 cardinal successful luxury handbags and recreation arsenic business expenses connected her taxation returns. She pleaded not blameworthy to nan charges.

A position convention successful Williamson’s lawsuit was moved to April 16 aft she precocious underwent a successful liver transplant and owed to nan ample measurement of find — much than 280,000 pages truthful acold — according to tribunal records revenge past month.

Williamson’s attorney, McGregor Scott, did not respond to a petition for comment.

State payroll records show Williamson earned $40,000 successful regular salary successful 2025, which nan authorities controller’s agency said included her December 2024 and January 2025 paychecks. The governor’s agency said Williamson’s December 2024 paycheck included 11 days of paid administrative leave, and nan remainder of some paychecks was covered by her unused leave.

With her last cash-out of $22,000 successful remaining clip off, she made a full of $62,000 past twelvemonth — each tied to administrative time off and unused picnic clip alternatively than clip worked.

“That’s shocking, honestly,” said Assemblyman Josh Hoover (R-Folsom), adding that stockpiled picnic clip wide is thing nan authorities Legislature should look into.

The authorities paid $453 cardinal successful unused time off benefits to authorities workers successful 2025. That was an mean of much than $20,000 to nan 21,000 labor who received a lump-sum check. The magnitude paid to departing aliases retiring authorities workers has steadily accrued each year. In 2024, nan authorities paid $413 cardinal for unused clip off.

“Obviously, labor are an important portion of our authorities and they accrue picnic time,” Hoover said. “But, if this is thing being utilized to pad people’s salaries ... we request to look into that and perchance betterment that.”

Last year, 80 authorities labor took location astatine slightest $250,000 successful unused clip off, and 1,081 labor were paid much than $100,000. Those numbers person been expanding each year. For example, nan authorities paid 16 authorities workers much than $250,000 for unused clip disconnected successful 2010, and 309 labor were paid much than $100,000.

In 2024, nan authorities paid retired a record $1.2 million to a situation supervising dentist for unused clip off. Last year, nan apical magnitude paid for unused time off was astir $650,000 to an adjunct occurrence main pinch nan California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The authorities owed astir $5.6 cardinal to authorities workers for unused picnic and different time off benefits successful 2024, according to nan astir caller financial accounting study issued by nan authorities controller’s office. Although that unfunded liability held dependable erstwhile compared pinch 2023, it has risen sharply from pre-pandemic amounts.

In 2019, nan authorities owed $3.9 cardinal for employees’ unused clip disconnected earlier COVID-19 curtailed recreation and work-from-home policies resulted successful less workers taking clip off. State labor person based on that under-staffing astatine authorities agencies tin make it difficult to return vacations.

Nick Schroeder, a argumentation expert astatine nan nonpartisan California Legislative Analyst’s Office, said nan authorities has plans to trim unfunded liabilities for pensions and retiree healthcare, but that isn’t nan lawsuit pinch unused clip off.

“There isn’t a scheme to reside it,” Schroeder said.

When an worker retires pinch a ample time off balance, nan section wherever that personification worked past is connected nan hook for nan amount.

“It tin beryllium a large effect connected that individual department’s budget,” Schroeder said.

During fund deficits — including successful nan existent fiscal twelvemonth — nan authorities has trim worker salary aliases deferred yearly raises successful speech for further days off, a strategy that helps equilibrium budgets but besides adds to workers’ increasing picnic balances.

In Newsom’s January fund proposal, which estimated a $3-billion deficit, nan politician recommended providing $91 cardinal successful ongoing backing to nan California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to thief nan situation strategy salary departing labor for their unused clip off. The section said that from 2020 to 2025, it paid astir $130 cardinal annually connected mean to labor leaving authorities service, according to a Legislative Analyst’s Office report.

When labor rate retired banked leave, nan authorities pays them not only for nan hours they person accumulated, but besides for nan further picnic and holidays they would person earned had they taken that clip off.

That intends a personification pinch 640 hours of picnic would besides beryllium paid for each of nan picnic and holidays they would person earned had they taken those 80 days off. Each hr of time off is paid based connected an employee’s last net — not what they were earning erstwhile nan clip was accrued.

Most private-sector employers headdress picnic accrual betwixt 40 and 400 hours and extremity labor from earning further clip erstwhile they scope those limits. Some companies person moved successful nan other direction, adopting “unlimited paid clip off” policies. Under those systems, labor do not accumulate picnic days that tin beryllium banked aliases cashed out, but critics opportunity nan policies tin lead to workers taking little clip disconnected because location is nary guaranteed number of days and labor whitethorn consciousness unit not to look absent.

Jon Coupal, president of nan Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn., said location appears to beryllium small appetite successful nan authorities Capitol to reside California’s burgeoning picnic liability.

“This problem is systemic wrong California authorities and nary 1 seems consenting to return it on,” Coupal said. “At nan aforesaid time, they are clamoring that location is simply a fund crisis. I fishy they will proceed to footwear nan tin down nan road.”