The Governor's Protection Detail: $5.4 Million in Overtime
Published April 22, 2026 · Data: 2024 State Controller payroll × CPRA roster response
CHP's Governor's Protective Detail Section — the unit responsible for 24-hour security for the Governor and First Family — is a 50-person unit. In 2024, 36 of those 50 officers (72%) ranked among the top 1,000 highest-paid CHP employees statewide. The unit consumed $5.4 million in overtime — averaging $150,008 per officer. No outlet has previously published this breakdown.
72%
Of unit in top 1,000 statewide
$5.4M
Total overtime — 50 officers
$150K
Average OT per officer
36/36
Exceed FMCSA 60hr trucking limit
Why This Matters
Every officer in this unit who made the top 1,000 reports estimated weekly hours exceeding the 60-hour federal limit CHP enforces on commercial truck drivers. FMCSA Hours of Service regulations exist because fatigue impairs reaction time, decision-making, and driving ability. CHP officers enforce these rules on California highways daily. The officers guarding the Governor appear to routinely exceed them.
CHP has historically refused to publish line-item protection costs for specific officials. This analysis was constructed by cross-referencing a CPRA-obtained sworn personnel roster with publicly available State Controller payroll data — both public records.
Full Protective Services Division Overtime
The Governor's detail is one of several protective units under CHP's Protective Services Division.
Governor's Protective Detail
$5.4M
36/50 officers in top 1,000 (72%)
Dignitary Protection — North
$0.9M
9/21 officers in top 1,000 (42.9%)
Dignitary Protection — South
$0.5M
5/18 officers in top 1,000 (27.8%)
Capitol Protection Section
$1.1M
13/158 officers in top 1,000 (8.2%)
Combined Protective Services overtime from top-1,000 earners
$7.9M
63 officers across all protective units
Governor's Protective Detail — Individual Officer Data
All 36 officers from this unit who appear in the top 1,000 highest-paid CHP employees. Sorted by overtime.
| # | Name | Rank | Base Pay | Overtime▼ | Total Comp | Est. Hrs/Wk | FMCSA % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael G Simpson | Officer | $154,699 | $238,774 | $538,927 | 81 | 135% |
| 2 | Justin T Heath | Officer | $154,094 | $221,499 | $517,235 | 78 | 131% |
| 3 | Jake A Steel | Officer | $157,624 | $215,364 | $512,506 | 76 | 127% |
| 4 | Clyde N Peterkin | Officer | $150,386 | $210,811 | $484,712 | 77 | 129% |
| 5 | Rebecca R Asp | Officer | $152,031 | $199,209 | $495,973 | 75 | 125% |
| 6 | Javier A Burga | Officer | $145,814 | $197,843 | $464,851 | 76 | 127% |
| 7 | Simon P Nunez | Officer | $150,134 | $188,088 | $478,494 | 73 | 122% |
| 8 | Jason E Collins | Officer | $159,718 | $186,775 | $496,398 | 71 | 119% |
| 9 | Bryan W Beckby | Officer | $156,000 | $181,942 | $482,953 | 71 | 119% |
| 10 | Yevgeniy Khodak | Sergeant | $160,304 | $174,566 | $485,202 | 69 | 115% |
| 11 | Robert F Cullinan | Officer | $144,198 | $165,645 | $448,420 | 71 | 118% |
| 12 | Daniel L Postak | Officer | $148,168 | $163,697 | $451,535 | 69 | 116% |
| 13 | Casey B Maxwell | Officer | $160,818 | $163,665 | $446,239 | 67 | 112% |
| 14 | Jeremy M Watson | Officer | $149,603 | $161,935 | $450,359 | 69 | 115% |
| 15 | David R Licciardello | Officer | $148,168 | $155,979 | $444,472 | 68 | 113% |
| 16 | Drew E Coker | Officer | $141,641 | $154,725 | $430,758 | 69 | 115% |
| 17 | Christopher R Harris | Officer | $153,062 | $153,759 | $461,482 | 67 | 111% |
| 18 | John M Stahr | Officer | $144,525 | $152,072 | $434,869 | 68 | 113% |
| 19 | James E Carter | Officer | $148,495 | $149,323 | $437,578 | 67 | 111% |
| 20 | Casey B Fuller | Officer | $148,291 | $142,925 | $430,038 | 66 | 110% |
| 21 | Nathan Ashby | Officer | $146,695 | $142,118 | $428,625 | 66 | 110% |
| 22 | Dennis G Slusser | Officer | $152,638 | $140,054 | $436,586 | 64 | 107% |
| 23 | Brett C Keller | Officer | $156,210 | $137,503 | $439,583 | 63 | 106% |
| 24 | Anthony J Busalacchi | Officer | $148,495 | $137,124 | $425,453 | 65 | 108% |
| 25 | Jason M Tomkinson | Officer | $145,231 | $134,733 | $416,976 | 65 | 108% |
| 26 | Rafael Cervantez | Officer | $149,159 | $133,624 | $423,461 | 64 | 106% |
| 27 | Alexander M Torres | Officer | $145,231 | $133,463 | $415,632 | 65 | 108% |
| 28 | Brad T Patching | Officer | $148,630 | $132,346 | $419,649 | 64 | 106% |
| 29 | Scott A Smith | Officer | $141,535 | $127,706 | $405,264 | 64 | 107% |
| 30 | Mark V Poelking | Officer | $156,327 | $126,181 | $428,462 | 62 | 103% |
| 31 | Ryan R Malak | Sergeant | $183,417 | $118,169 | $465,582 | 57 | 95% |
| 32 | Aleksandr Yankovskiy | Officer | $151,216 | $115,538 | $408,492 | 60 | 101% |
| 33 | Benjamin C Rathe | Officer | $148,155 | $112,938 | $400,212 | 60 | 101% |
| 34 | Roger N Mortensen | Officer | $156,052 | $100,472 | $399,725 | 57 | 95% |
| 35 | Alison J Bushey | Sergeant | $175,727 | $29,727 | $483,188 | 45 | 74% |
| 36 | James A Carter | Lieutenant | $237,751 | $0 | $526,250 | 40 | 67% |
36 officers · All exceed FMCSA 60hr/wk limit
Source: State Controller 2024 payroll × CPRA roster
Illustrative Staffing Equivalency
The $5.4 million spent on overtime in this 50-person unit alone could fund approximately 27 additional full-time officers at an estimated $200,000 per officer (including salary, benefits, pension contributions, and equipment). That would increase the unit's size by 54%.
Methodology
This analysis cross-references two public data sources: (1) a sworn personnel roster obtained via California Public Records Act request (CPRA-2026-001), which identifies 7,629 sworn CHP employees by name, rank, and area assignment; and (2) 2024 compensation data from the State Controller's Office via TransparentCalifornia.com, filtered to the top 1,000 CHP earners by total compensation. Officers were matched by last name and first name. 713 of 1,000 compensation records were matched to stations. Estimated hours use the Unit 12 MOU formula: OT rate = (base ÷ 2,080) × 1.5. Weekly totals assume even distribution across 52 weeks. Actual daily schedules are not available from payroll data.
What This Data Cannot Tell You
Payroll records show compensation, not verified shift logs. Annual totals do not show exact daily schedules — officers may have worked concentrated periods during high-threat events, dignitary visits, or travel. Protective detail assignments may inherently require longer hours than highway patrol. High compensation alone does not prove misconduct. This analysis identifies patterns that raise public accountability questions — it does not make factual claims about individual officers' conduct.
Questions Raised by This Data
On staffing: Is a 50-person unit adequate for 24/7 gubernatorial protection, or does the overtime volume indicate chronic understaffing?
On cost: At $5.4M in overtime, would expanding the unit be more cost-effective than sustaining 1.5× pay rates?
On fatigue: If these hours are accurate, are officers guarding the Governor operating under fatigue conditions that CHP itself considers unsafe for commercial drivers?
On transparency: Why has CHP historically refused to publish protection costs when this information is derivable from existing public records?
Additional Records Needed
To move from questions to findings, the following records would need to be obtained via CPRA:
· Authorized vs. filled positions for the Governor's Protective Detail (FY2020–2025)
· Overtime authorization and approval records for the unit
· Shift schedules and actual hours worked (if maintained separately from payroll)
· Any internal audits or reviews of protective detail overtime
· Reimbursable vs. non-reimbursable overtime breakdown for dignitary protection