California Commission nixes pay raises for state officials
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| Salaries of California elected officials and their compared with other states: |
• Governor:
California, $175,000
New York, $179,000.
Michigan, $177,000.
New Jersey, $175,000.
• Lieutenant governor:
California, $131,250.
New York, $151,500.
Michigan, $123,900.
Pennsylvania, $121,309.
• Attorney general:
California, $148,750.
New York, $151,500.
New Jersey, $137,165.
Illinois, $132,963.
• Superintendent of public instruction:
California, $148,750.
Illinois, $247,253.
Ohio, $201,406. Michigan, $165,000.
• Controller:
California, $140,000.
New York, $151,500.
North Carolina, $130,078. Pennsylvania, $123,032.
• Treasurer:
California, $140,000.
Michigan, $167,504.
New Jersey, $137,165.
Pennsylvania, $120,154.
• Secretary of state:
California, $131,250.
New Jersey, $137,165.
Illinois, $132,963.
Virginia, $128,479.
• Insurance commissioner:
California, $140,000.
Texas, $163,800.
New Jersey, $137,165.
New York, $127,000.
• Legislative leaders:
California, $113,850.
New York, $121,000.
Michigan, $106,650.
Pennsylvania, $100,904.
• Legislators:
California, $99,000.
Michigan, $79,650.
New York, $79,500.
Pennsylvania, $64,638. |
SACRAMENTO — It took the state's pay commission less than 20 minutes Monday to decide that California can't afford to give its elected officials a pay raise this year.
"No question about it, considering the fiscal chaos the state is currently facing, there's no reason to justify raises this year," said John Mack, the new chairman of the California Citizens Compensation Commission.
The panel, created by voters in 1990 when they approved Proposition 112, voted 7-0 to freeze the salaries and benefits of the governor, legislators and other state elected officials at current levels for another year.
Rank-and-file lawmakers haven't had a raise since 1998, although the pay of some legislative leaders was boosted in 2000. That was also the last time the salaries of the governor and other state elected officials were increased.
But commissioners said the state's $38.2 billion budget deficit made any kind of an increase in pay and benefits out of the question this year, although some commission members said the officials' benefits were too low.
"Now is not the time," said Commissioner Jim Green, a retired union official.
California's rank-and-file legislators are already the highest paid in the nation. They receive $99,000 a year in salary. Legislative leaders make up to $113,850 annually. Lawmakers also receive $125 a day in expense money when they're in session.
But a handful of other states pay their statewide officials more. For example, the governor of New York is paid $179,000 and the governor of Michigan receives $177,000, while the California governor's salary is set at $175,000 a year.
Gov. Gray Davis actually receives less than that because he voluntarily takes a 5 percent pay cut.
Davis' spokesman Steve Maviglio agreed with the commission's decision, saying it would "send the wrong signal" to raise the salaries of elected officials at the same time the administration is asking state employees to take pay cuts.
Two lawmakers, state Sen. Rico Oller, R-San Andreas, and Assemblyman Lou Correa, D-Anaheim, sent the commissioners letters urging them to reject pay hikes.
"Like many other Californians, I have a family to support and a mortgage to pay," Correa said. "Unfortunately, California is facing an unprecedented fiscal challenge that requires all of us to examine ways to reduce spending and demand more in the way of efficiencies."
Connie Lentsch, a retired clerical worker from Sacramento, told the commissioners they should go the other way and adopt a 10 percent pay cut.
"No one in this room should be able to say with a clear conscience that legislators and the governor have earned a pay raise," she said.
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© Copyright
2003 -
POINT -- The Way.
Last update:
05-Sep-03; 4:10:35 AM.
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