A growing number of states are posting salary data online. While this data has always been public, with limited exceptions, it hasn't always been readily accessible. Several counties in California have put salary data online (such as this table for 2007 from the County of Santa Clara). In instances where government entities have yet to act, newpapers have compiled the information into searchable online databases: see this one from the Sacramento Bee or this one from Capitol Weekly. Here, you can search for California state employee salaries by last name, first name, workplace and/or job title.