You’d have to work a long time to earn $1 million, unless you’re the former Redlands police deputy chief who topped California’s public payroll after never working a day last year.
Newly released data from the State Controller’s Office records shows a Redlands Police Department deputy chief received nearly $1.2 million in wages in 2025, the largest total reported by any city employee statewide. Public payroll records and Transparent California identify the employee as former Deputy Chief Travis Martinez.
According to the controller’s database, Martinez received $81,804 in regular pay, $890,467 in other pay and $231,099 in lump-sum compensation before retiring in April. The city also contributed $55,864 toward retirement and health benefits, bringing his total compensation package to approximately $1.26 million.
The payout exceeded the earnings of every other municipal employee in California, including a Los Angeles Fire Department battalion chief who received more than $921,000 in wages and a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power supervisor who earned more than $779,000.
The State Controller’s Office publishes annual salary data for public employees across California, including wages, overtime, pension contributions and benefits, using payroll information submitted by thousands of government agencies. While the database does not identify employees by name, Transparent California linked the compensation to Martinez.
According to The Orange Country Register, Martinez’s unusually large payout followed an agreement that ended a lengthy dispute with the city.
He had been on paid administrative leave from the police force for about 18 months before retiring in April 2025. As part of a settlement, Martinez agreed to retire and dismiss a legal claim he filed against the city in exchange for a payment reported to total roughly $872,000.
In that 2023 claim, Martinez alleged city officials retaliated against him after he reported what he described as misconduct within the department.
Among his allegations, Martinez said he raised concerns about attempts to conceal evidence involving safety issues connected to a deadly Metrolink train crash that killed a Redlands woman and her 11-year-old daughter. He also claimed he was retaliated against after reporting allegations of sexual misconduct involving then-Deputy Chief Mike Reiss to the FBI because he believed the matter was not being properly addressed internally.
Martinez further alleged that city leaders pressured him to overlook misconduct and remain silent.
According to sources familiar with the matter, Martinez was placed on paid leave in October 2023 and never returned to active duty before his retirement.
The allegations against Reiss have led to multiple legal settlements for the city. Reiss retired in March 2023 after accusations that he groomed, sexually harassed and preyed on several department employees over a period of years. Former Police Chief Chris Catren also retired days earlier, citing a work-related injury and denying any connection to the controversy.
Over the past three years, Redlands has approved more than $3.3 million in settlements to resolve sexual harassment lawsuits tied to Reiss. The most recent came in June, when the City Council approved a $475,000 settlement with former forensic specialist Geneva Holzer. As part of the agreement, Holzer agreed to resign and dismiss her lawsuit.
In his legal claim, Martinez pointed to his 29-year career with the department, saying he helped develop policing initiatives that were later adopted by agencies nationwide. He also alleged he was repeatedly passed over for promotion because he refused to ignore misconduct within the department.
