Chief Counsel

Provide legal advice, draft and review documents, and represent the agency in legal matters.

1 employees hold this title in Forestry and Fire Protection. Median total compensation for the role is $227,358, above the department median of $111,787.

Employees: 1
Total payroll: $227.4K
Role median: $227,358
Agency median: $111,787
Comparison: Above

Compare departments

This role across California

Chief Counsel is held in 15 California departments. In Forestry and Fire Protection, the median of $227,358 ranks #1 of 15.

Highest-paying departments for this role

Transportation

$220,496 · 1

Secretary of State's Office

$219,023 · 1

Water Resources

$217,735 · 2

Toxic Substances Control

$213,045 · 2

Developmental Services

$212,818 · 1

Department of Technology

$208,801 · 1

Rehabilitation

$208,207 · 1

Pesticide Regulation

$207,006 · 1

Parks and Recreation

$197,290 · 1

Health Care Access and Information

$191,051 · 1

California State Lottery Community

$189,292 · 1

Emergency Medical Services Authority

$161,669 · 1

Median total compensation for the Chief Counsel role in other Californiadepartments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.

Compare jurisdictions

Chief Counsel beyond California

This role is reported in 3 jurisdictions. In California, the median of $208,649 ranks #1 of 3. See Chief Counsel across all of California →

Highest-paying jurisdictions for this role

City of Phoenix, Arizona

$171,032 · 5

Missouri

$112,806 · 21

Median total compensation for comparable Chief Counsel roles in other jurisdictions. Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for the role.

Record list

Employees with this title

Page 1

Kelly Welchans

Chief Counsel/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$227,358

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $203,556
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $23,802
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $227,358
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: E99
Work county: Sacramento
Middle name: A

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $17,689
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5410150913001
Salary Total: $17,158
Total Pay: $227,358

Kelly Welchans holds the role of Chief Counsel at Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. Their status is full-time. In 2025, their total compensation was $227,358. Their bargaining unit is E99.