Thread: California elected officials' pay will be cut 18%

California elected officials' pay will be cut 18%

The California Citizens Compensation Commission slashes pay for the governor, legislators and statewide officeholders who are elected next year. State law protects current elected officials.

By Patrick McGreevy and Ann M. Simmons
May 21, 2009

Reporting from Burbank and Sacramento -- A state panel this morning slashed the salaries of the governor, legislators and other elected state officials by 18% -- a day after voters rejected a plan by the leaders to address the budget crisis.

The cut will apply to officials elected next year.

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Citing pay decreases and layoffs being imposed on rank-and-file state workers, the California Citizens Compensation Commission approved the reduction, which also applies to the state attorney general, superintendent of public instruction, controller, insurance commissioner, treasurer, lieutenant governor, secretary of state and members of the Board of Equalization.

"I think they should share in the sacrifices that everyone else has had to encounter," Commissioner Kathy Sands, a former Auburn mayor, said after the panel's 5-1 vote at a meeting in Burbank.

The commission had wanted to decrease current officials' pay, but the panel's attorney said California law does not allow that.

Commission Chairman Charles Murray said the panel's move would allow savings close to those that would have been achieved if a 10% cut had gone into effect this year and continued through next year.

"We see nothing on the horizon that is going to bring us out of" the state budget crisis, Murray said. "How do you find $21 billion in one year?"

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who appoints the commissioners and supported their action today, does not take a salary. One legislator, Sen. Abel Maldonado (R-Santa Maria), said he would voluntarily accept the pay cut effective June 1.

But state Sen. Denise Moreno Ducheny (D-San Diego), who will be termed out of the Legislature next year, called the decrease "excessive" and "punitive" and said it may discourage some people from running for state office.

A month ago, members proposed a 10% cut. Today, they cited Tuesday's election results, which will push the state budget deficit as high as $21.3 billion, in making the larger reduction.

They also noted that Schwarzenegger in February mandated two unpaid furlough days a month for most state employees, equal to a 9.2% pay cut, and recently proposed laying off 5,000 government workers.

Schwarzenegger is entitled to an annual salary of $212,000. The next governor will receive $173,840, which would no longer be the largest paycheck for a governor in the country. The current No. 2 in pay is the governor of New York, who receives $179,000.

Most state legislators currently are paid $116,208 annually in salary and $35,000 in per diem living expenses. The 100 lawmakers who will be elected in November of next year will receive the same per diem, but a salary of $95,291. Legislative leaders make more.

Even with the pay cut, California lawmakers will be the country's highest-paid. The next best compensated are in Michigan, which pays legislators $79,650.

Tuesday's pay cut was opposed by Commissioner William Feyling, executive director for Carpenters 46 Northern California Counties Conference Board, who has argued for a 5% reduction. And Commissioner John Stites had proposed cutting the salaries more, by 25%.

patrick.mcgreevy@latimes.com

ann.simmons@latimes.com

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/polit ... 0372.story

When are the Federal Elected Officials going to take a 50% pay cut?

Related Post:
Pension/Salary/Benefits CONGRESS; Poll/Vote and MORE!
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-126464.html

Originally Posted by vmonkey56

When is the Federal Elected Officials going to take a 50% pay cut?

Related Post:
Pension/Salary/Benefits CONGRESS; Poll/Vote and MORE!
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-126464.html

NEVER

If there is one thing that might bring the government officials around to enforcement of immigration it is when the cost of having them here bites them in the ass personally. I hope that the various state pro enforcement oirganizations pick up on this and offer the politicos enforcement as the answer.