One scientist drives for Lyft and Uber on nights, weekends and holidays. Another manages his apartment building for extra cash. A third's trying to be reclassified as an engineer — a change that could mean higher pay for the same work. Via CalMatters
that included supervisors. But most are environmental scientists and specialists, who earn about 2% less in total compensation than the market average for public sector scientists in California and 8% less than federal ones. Their vacancy rate, however, falls slightly below the state’s.
In 2019, 22% of 59 scientists in the Department of Toxic Substances Control, the State Water Resources Control Board and the regional water boards who responded to an informal survey said they held second jobs. Most said the pay affected their willingness to recruit others. “You do what you gotta do to take care of your kids,” said the father of four, who is a California tribal citizen.“Having overcome the traditional barriers in education, in housing, to come into state service and be so woefully undercompensated because of a different form of discrimination — it’s just a bit of a morale killer.”