The independent commission that sets compensation for California's elected officials decided Wednesday not to cut the pay of legislators and constitutional officers from governor to secretary of state.
The action means that current salaries will not change. Legislators receive $95,291 per year and their leaders, $109,584. Pay for constitutional offices ranges from $173,987 for governor -- Arnold Schwarzenegger does not take pay -- to $130,490 for members of the Board of Equalization.
The commission's six members voted unanimously to maintain the status quo. A previous motion to cut pay by 5 percent failed to get a second.
Commission Chairman Chuck Murray said later that he was prepared to support up to a 10 percent pay cut but that it quickly became clear at Wednesday's meeting that a majority of the panel would not.
Commissioners, in their deliberations, expressed reservations about cutting elected officials' pay without a clearer picture of the ramifications of next year's budget.
Health and welfare benefits, car allowances, and per diem payments to offset legislators' living expenses in Sacramento also were kept at current levels Wednesday by the commission of gubernatorial appointees.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell urged the panel not to cut compensation, saying that such a move could hamper the ability to recruit qualified people to office.
Brett Granlund, a former Yucaipa Republican assemblyman who now works as a lobbyist for Platinum Advisors, said that cutting pay for a second consecutive year would be punitive, would not dent the state's budget deficit, and would "dumb down" the Legislature by discouraging qualified candidates.
"Who would want the job?" he told the panel. "You've got to feed your family."
Last year, the pay commission imposed an 18 percent cut in pay, benefits and legislative per diem payments to offset living expenses while in Sacramento. Per diem fell from $173 to $142 per day, payable while the Legislature is in session.
In its Wednesday meeting, commissioners cited last year's reduction as a reason to hold off on similar action this year. The cumulative impact exceeded cuts experienced by state workers, the panel noted.
Photo caption: Chuck Murray, Chairman of the California Citizens Compensation Commission, top center, talks with Brett Granlund, a lobbyist and former Yucaipa Republican assemblyman, who said that cutting pay for a second consecutive year would be punitive, would not dent the state's budget deficit and would "dumb down" the legislature by discouraging qualified candidates from running for office. Photo by Hector Amezcua
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