'Blank Check' Prison Reformer Gets $500K a Year

Robert Sillen is as close to a dictator as it gets in these parts. When U.S. District Court Judge Thelton Henderson appointed him to head the California Prison Health Care Receivership, he gave Sillen unparalleled powers to shake up the state's crumbling, dangerous and frequently deadly prison medical system.

Sillen was given "a virtual blank check on the state treasury and the power to suspend state laws and contracts to reshape the system," as the Sacramento Bee says today. Sillen is taking the job seriously. Here are the salaries for Sillen and his staff, contained in a report he filed Tuesday:

• Robert Sillen, receiver: $500,000
• Terry Hill, chief medical officer: $350,000
• Justin Graham, chief medical information officer: $275,000
• Rich Wood, chief financial officer: $275,000
• John Hummel, chief information officer: $275,000
• Jayne Russell, acting health care project officer: $187,678
• Rachel Kagan, communications director: $180,000
• Lori Estrada-Kirn, special assistant to Sillen: $101,000
• John Hagar, chief of staff: $200 an hour
• Kathy Page, nursing consultant: $200 an hour
• Kent Amai, medical consultant: $200 an hour

And the salaries do not include another 30% for a benefits package.

In the report, Sillen said the salaries were justified because of the temporary nature of the job, the "utter disrepair of California's prison medical system," the "significant dysfunction" of the Department of Corrections and state government regarding business practices, the "unique challenges and dangers associated with working within a prison environment," and the "crisis nature of the mission."

I'm sure Sillen thinks he works very hard, but he works for the people of California and the taxpayers now. It's called public service. Sillen is attempting to cut prison drug costs, which have spiraled out of control. He also has ordered up seven new medical facilities at an estimated cost of $3 billion for three to five years. And why not? It's free money.

(Photo: Steve Yeater / AP)