Gilroy
– Local state legislators were reluctant Thursday to say whether
they will accept the 12 percent pay hike approved earlier this week
by a state commission.
Gilroy – Local state legislators were reluctant Thursday to say whether they will accept the 12 percent pay hike approved earlier this week by a state commission.
State Senator Elaine Alquist, D-San Jose, was the exception. Alquist said she will take the raise that will boost her salary to $110,880.
“This was an unsolicited salary adjustment not asked for by me or my colleagues,” she said. “If legislative salaries are not adjusted to reflect cost of living increases, the potential result is that everyday people will not be able to afford to serve in the legislature.”
The raise takes effect in December and makes the members of both houses the highest paid state legislators in the nation. Party leaders such as the Assembly speaker and the Senate president pro tem also got increases that brought their salaries to $127,512. It’s the first raise for most legislators since 1998.
Monday’s 5-0 vote by the Citizens Compensation Commission will cost taxpayers between $1.5 million and $2 million a year and cannot be overturned by the Legislature or the Governor.
Assemblyman Simón Salinas, D-Salinas, did not return a call seeking comment Thursday. Assemblyman John Laird, D-Santa Cruz, and Abel Maldonado, R- Santa Maria, said they have not yet decided whether to take the raise, which has been sharply criticized by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
“Obviously, now is not the time to give politicians in Sacramento more money,” said Vince Sollitto, the governor’s deputy press secretary. “Given the fiscal challenge that the state continues to face, this sends the wrong message.”
Lawmakers also receive a per diem payment of $138 a day during the legislative session, primarily for temporary housing in Sacramento. During a typical year, that can boost their overall compensation by as much as $20,000.
Steve Maviglio, spokesman for Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles, defended the commission vote. He said higher salaries for lawmakers are necessary to attract good candidates for office.
“The speaker respects the decision,” he said. “If we want to continue to attract topflight legislators, their salaries need to be competitive with other public positions.”
Maviglio noted that even with Monday’s pay raise, lawmakers still will be paid less than members of the U.S. Congress, who make $158,000 a year, and Superior Court judges, who make about $140,000 annually.
He also said California lawmakers are the only full-time legislators in the country who are not also included in their state’s pension system. Maviglio confirmed that the raise will make California legislators the nation’s highest-paid state lawmakers.
The seven-member commission was formed in June 1990 when voters approved Proposition 112. Two of its positions are vacant.
All members are appointed by the governor with staggered terms, and the Legislature has no authority over the commission’s actions. Schwarzenegger has not made any appointments to the commission since he was sworn into office in November 2003.
The increases were given to legislators only. Salaries paid to the constitutional officers – such as the governor, the lieutenant governor and attorney general – remain the same. Party leaders also received a salary boost in 1999.
Jamie Court, president of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights in Santa Monica, called the wage increase excessive, in part, he said, because many lawmakers do not have good voting records.
“Given that they don’t vote but a third of the time, they should have their pay cut,” said Court, whose group has tracked voting records of the Legislature. “These are hard economic times and it seems this is a rather excessive pay increase for a group of folks that haven’t been doing their job all that well.”
Thomas Dominguez, a member of the commission who was originally appointed by Republican Gov. Pete Wilson, said lawmakers have waited long enough for a pay increase.
“The data suggests that they are falling behind, especially when compared to what other state employees have gotten,” he said.
