AP investigation: Calif. lawmakers boost staff pay

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Against a backdrop of deep fiscal distress, several California lawmakers rewarded their employees with pay hikes during the first half of the year, an Associated Press review of legislative pay records showed.

At least 87 California Assembly staff members received raises totaling more than $430,000 on an annualized basis, even as the state faced a growing budget deficit that led to furloughs and pay cuts for many other government workers and steep reductions in core services.

Wow that'a an average raise of about $4,942 per person.

In the 40-member Senate, nine staffers had a boost in pay, leading to an annualized increase of $152,000.

That's an average raise of about $16,888. per person.

In the Assembly, 39 employees received pay increases of 10 percent or more. Of those, 15 saw increases of 20 percent or more.

Five Assembly staffers and two Senate staffers who already made $100,000 a year or more saw their pay rise.

Both houses of the Legislature refused the AP's request to make the payroll records available electronically. Details of their spending are not listed in the annual budget the governor signs, as they are for other state agencies and departments, meaning there is no way to cross-check the information the Legislature provides.

At the same time the Legislature was awarding pay increases, some 200,000 state government employees had been furloughed two days a month, equivalent to a 9 percent pay cut. That has since been increased to three days, or a nearly 15 percent pay cut.

During that period, Assemblywoman Lori Saldana, D-San Diego, awarded a total of $41,000 in annualized pay increases to her staff, the highest total increase for any member of the Legislature.

That included 20 percent pay boosts for three of her employees and a 15 percent increase for her chief of staff, Lucy Krohn, bringing her annual wage to $110,640

"There may be a few exceptions, but just generally they have to be thinking more about PR than thinking about their staff," he said. "Of course, it's an infinitesimal amount of money in the big picture, but it's the symbol of it. It doesn't matter what they've cut."

Perhaps in his mind it's an infinitesimal amount of money, however i'm quite sure that state employees receiving pay raises of almost $ 5,000 and almost $17,000 a year are not considered infinitesimal amounts to the average citizen that is paying those salaries with their tax dollars while losing their houses and jobs.

How can they even attempt to justify these kinds of pay raises when their state is in such a dismall state financially ?! They're no better than the bankers that we were forced to bail out.

The biggest problem for me though is how dare they give these select employees such enormous raises in pay and at the same time cut the pay of 200,000 employees by almost 15% ! IMHO if the state budget is in such a dire state that they must cut the pay of any workers then not one single worker should receive any increase in pay until they all can !

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Well isn't that just awesome. Lets give out half of million dollars in pay raises while they are in a 24 billion dollar budget deficit and still handing out IOU's. Yea, I think I know where Cali's problems are steaming from.

Have they passed a budget yet? I haven't seen anything the last time I heard the one they came up with ended up not passing, I might be wrong about that.

And they wonder why there was an exodus that ripped away a significant group of taxable people. I'm still not ruling out California being the incident that tips the rest of us overboard.

reply to post by Hastobemoretolife


I haven't heard of anything either since they were trying to pass that emergency budget.

Yep we know where their problems are coming from alright. Just think of all the money this whole country would save if all the higher up government employees would take paycuts.

They attempt to justify it by saying they're working longer hours and they've made hefty cuts elsewhere, but to me there is no justifying something like this.

Heck i can't even begin to imagine receiving a pay raise of almost $5,000 a year, let alone almost $17,000

Come on guys, you know they work hard for their money.

I wonder how many of those who got pay raises are actually related to the lawmakers.

reply to post by jam321

I wonder how many of those who got pay raises are actually related to the lawmakers.

Perhaps the Assoiciated Press should investigate that aspect of it and see what they come up with.

We had a situation come up here in Chicago where it was made public that the water reclaimation district had summer job openings every year (making good money) but somehow the positions always seemed to be filled before they even became available to the public, of course they were filled by the family members of aldermen and water reclaimation workers

reply to post by chise61


I guess 100,000+ grand a year with 3 months worth of vacation and taking anytime off that you want, is working hard.

Its crazy.

reply to post by Hastobemoretolife


It sure is crazy ! Unbeleivable what some people get paid in this country simply because they work for the government higher ups.

That's what needs serious reformation in this country, the salary of the politicians and the people that work under them.

Some of these people's salaries are just beyond reason to me, especially when our economy is in the state that it is.

Here is a list of California lawmakers who increased pay for their staff members between January and June. Explanations are included where lawmakers chose to comment.

Assemblywoman Lori Saldana, D-San Diego

_ Five employees whose cumulative monthly pay rose from $22,065 to $25,478. One employee was promoted from legislative assistant to senior field representative.

Assemblywoman Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa

_ Five employees whose cumulative monthly pay rose from $20,124 to $22,401.

Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael

_ Three staffers whose cumulative monthly pay increased from $25,507 to $26,782.

Sergeant-at-Arms (Capitol Security)

_ Twelve employees whose cumulative monthly pay rose from $43,956 to $46,740. One employee's duties changed to working for the Rules Committee, which also oversees the Sergeant-at-Arms office.

The list is much longer, but i chose to stop with just a few because

www.kmj580.com...

[edit on 8/17/2009 by chise61]

reply to post by chise61


Yes this is insanity. California still can not balance the state budget is handing out IOU's which is theft...

The vehicle registration fee was doubled this year...that means if it was 200 it is now 600.00.

Seriously...I hear rumors that California sits on a shelf, and could fall into the ocean. Hummmm.....

reply to post by burntheships

California still can not balance the state budget is handing out IOU's which is theft...

Who are they handing out IOU's to ?

Hey you know the old saying, what's good for the goose is good for the gander.


Imagine their reaction at tax time if all California's citizens sent them IOU's

reply to post by chise61


Yes, I wish! The state can not pay its debts, and for income tax refunds, they issued IOU's. Most banks in the state will not accept them. What a load of bandini. Yet they still collect tax all day long every day. Sales tax, tax, tax, tax. Vehicle tax, gas tax, crv tax. Tax upon tax.

Like I said...I heard California sits on a ledge in the Ocean, and could fall in.

reply to post by burntheships


You should all seek some legal recources about those tax return IOU's (especially since the news about all this state employee raises, seems they have the money for that) God knows they'd necer allow a citizen to do that crap.

Like I said...I heard California sits on a ledge in the Ocean, and could fall in.

Well in that case i suggets you think about moving