Former state Democratic Party head Art Torres got a $150,000 pay boost today for his work as co vice chair of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine.
Torres, a former state legislator, was hired in March to head the stem cell agency on a half-time basis, with a salary of $75,000. His co vice-chair, Duane Roth, declined to take a salary.
CIRM directors unanimously approved this afternoon upping Torres' workload to 80 percent and increasing his pay to $225,000 a year. In addition to continuing his work as vice chairman, Torres will serve as CIRM's director of government relations, a role he has been filling unofficially for several months.
"We clearly don't need a government relations director with him here," CIRM spokesman Don Gibbons said. "It really is a situation where he's doing double what he was originally hired to do."
But even with the high praises, one spending watchdog said the raise was unnecessary.
"At a time when California is in a severe economic crisis, state workers'
salaries are being cut and they are facing mandatory furloughs, this raise is highly inappropriate," said John Simpson, stem cell project director for Consumer Watchdog, wrote in an e-mail. "Art Torres knew the terms of the job when he took it. He should have been happy simply not to face the cuts endured by other state employees."
David Jensen first reported on the decision over at the California Stem Cell Report blog.
UPDATE 4:46 p.m.: This post was updated with a quote from CIRM spokesman Don Gibbons.
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