Not working didn’t stop one government employee from getting paid nearly $200,000

Topline: A California state employee recently took one of the longest paid vacations in history.

The unnamed worker stayed on paid leave for over two years after announcing his plan to retire and earned $171,446 in illegitimate salary before his supervisors finally noticed the mistake, according to a state audit released Dec. 12.

Key facts: The unnamed employee of the California Air Resources Board — the state agency tasked with fighting air pollution and climate change — planned...