Can compensation to a retired gov. official be public record?

Q: A government official recently retired and received monetary reimbursement for unused vacation and sick leave. Can the reimbursement be made available to the public if requested?

A: The answer to your question is yes.  The California Attorney General has concluded in two opinion letters that the specific compensation of individual government employees is a matter of public record.  In a published opinion (68 Ops. Cal. Atty. Gen. 73 (1985)), the attorney general concluded that if a public employee is awarded a merit pay bonus, the public is entitled to know who the employee is, the amount awarded and even the reasons for the award.  And in an unpublished opinion letter (Letter to Brian Hill from Deputy Attorney General Lisa Lewis Dubois (1988)), the attorney general concluded that the exact compensation (not simply the pay range) of each employee is a matter of public record.