Here are the top 50 highest paid Fresno employees of 2025. OT was a major factor
Twenty-nine of Fresno’s 50 highest compensated employees in 2025 worked in the city’s Fresno Fire Department, according to city records obtained by The Fresno Bee.
Two fire captains — Emil John Ross ($405,555) and Juan Perez ($394,022) — held the top two spots, outpacing the city manager, police chief and other high-ranking officials largely due to overtime pay, according to the information released to The Bee through a public records request.
Both Ross and Perez made more in overtime with $221,589 and $201,292, respectively, than they did from regular pay. The OT pay was nearly doubled what Ross ($127,778) and Perez ($136,879) were compensated for regular hours.
The median household income in Fresno city was $70,991, according to the most recent data in 2024 from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Firefighters on average work more than 40 hours a week. A number of police officers also made the top 50 list, but only two did so with the help of OT.
Officer Dino Garcia was paid $297,997 last year with $108,166 in OT. Sgt. Rafael Villalvazo made $291,115 in total compensation, which included $26,001 in overtime plus other pay and benefits.
The list also includes department leaders and officials at City Hall, including City Manager Georganne White, Police Chief Mindy Casto and City Attorney Andrew Janz, who were all in the top 10.
