CA: Bosses could get big raises - Governor says law's only beneficiary may be the prisons chief

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill Wednesday that includes a provision added in the waning days of the legislative session allowing his administration to nearly double the pay of 50 top state bosses.

Under Assembly Bill 2936, the workers -- mostly heads of agencies and departments -- could get as much as 125 percent of the governor's salary, although the governor says he intends to extend the raise to only one or two officials.

Schwarzenegger doesn't take his pay. But in 2007, the salary assigned to his office is scheduled to increase to $206,500. That would mean the top administrators would qualify for as much as $258,125.

Under current law, the salaries of the top supervisors are set in state law and top out at about $138,000.

The administration said the increase was needed to attract a qualified leader at the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, which runs the troubled prison system.

The administration wasted no time in applying the new law Wednesday, announcing that the acting secretary of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, James Tilton, would be appointed permanently, receiving a salary of $225,000.

A survey by the Department of Personnel Administration found that the chief probation officers in the state's biggest counties, who oversee far fewer workers and inmates, were being paid much more than the $131,412 salary of the state prisons chief.

The San Diego chief probation officer, for instance, gets a salary of $210,080, according to the survey.

The Republican governor initially proposed that the law cover only the head of prisons. But legislators didn't think it should apply to only one position and "asked to broaden the authority," said Schwarzenegger spokeswoman Margita Thompson. There is no plan to extend it beyond the prisons director and possibly the CHP commissioner, she said.

Arnold is clueless on what he is signing.

Arnold's office isn't clueless. They are the ones that slipped it into a totally unrelated piece of legislation at the last minute, with many legislators not even being told the provision had been added. It affects 54 positions within the administration. He knew exactly what he was signing.

CA: Governor could double aides' pay (up to $258K/yr for 54 appointees)
San Francisco Chronicle ^ | September 8, 2006 | Greg Lucas, Mark Martin
Posted on 09/08/2006 7:56:00 AM PDT by calcowgirl

(snip)
The assemblyman who wrote the legislation, AB2936, said . . . the salary increase provision was sought by the administration . . .

I think the prison chief may be the only recipient of the absolute top salary level that Tilton got, but I imagine many, many others will be seeing some hefty salary increases, to levels that are substantially above prior levels. The Secretary of Business, Transportation and Housing comes to mind. Sunne McPeak recently accepted a position paying $200K+ when she leaves the position by the end of the year. I'd bet money that her replacement will garner a hefty increase from the current $125K level. Before, the percentage increases for these positions were consistent with those of all state employees.

Here is the list of positions affected (in other words, the 54 folks that will soon be looking for a raise).

Director of Finance.
Secretary of Business, Transportation and Housing.
Secretary of Resources.
Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Secretary of State and Consumer Services.
Commissioner of the California Highway Patrol.
Secretary of the Youth and Adult Correctional Agency.
Secretary of Food and Agriculture.
Secretary of Technology, Trade, and Commerce.
Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development.
Commissioner of Financial Institutions.
Commissioner of Corporations.
Insurance Commissioner.
Director of Transportation.
Real Estate Commissioner.
Director of Social Services.
Director of Water Resources.
Chief Deputy Secretary for Adult Operations of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Director of General Services.
Director of Motor Vehicles.
Chief Deputy Secretary for Juvenile Justice in the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Executive Officer of the Franchise Tax Board.
Director of Employment Development.
Director of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
Director of Housing and Community Development.
Director of Alcohol and Drug Abuse.
Director of the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development.
Director of the Department of Personnel Administration.
Chairperson and Member of the Board of Equalization.
Secretary of Technology, Trade, and Commerce.
State Director of Health Services.
Director of Mental Health.
Director of Developmental Services.
State Public Defender.
Director of the California State Lottery.
Director of Fish and Game.
Director of Parks and Recreation.
Director of Rehabilitation.
Director of Veterans Affairs.
Director of Consumer Affairs.
Director of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The Inspector General pursuant to Section 6125 of the Penal Code.
Director of Child Support Services.
Director of Industrial Relations.
Chief Deputy Secretary for Adult Programs in the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Director of Conservation.
Director of the Department of Economic Opportunity.
State Architect.
Director of Fair Employment and Housing.
Director of the Office of Emergency Services.
Director of the Department of Aging.
State Fire Marshal.
Director of Trade and Commerce.

FYI, Arnie just signed a new bill (SB 162) to establish a Dept of Public Health. The Press Release talks a lot about emergencies and such, but the actual law is quite interesting. It includes, among other things: privacy and matters associated with disclosure of information; authorization to build a new 1.4 million sq ft facility (plus parking) garage, issuance of bonds for the former and.... guess what? Another new head honcho for the department making top salary!

11554.5. Effective July 1, 2007, an annual salary of two hundred twenty-two thousand dollars ($222,000) shall be paid to the State Public Health Officer. The annual compensation provided by this section shall be increased in any fiscal year in which a general salary increase is provided for state employees. The amount of the increase provided by this section shall be comparable to, but shall not exceed, the percentage of the general salary increases provided for state employees during that fiscal year.

How many rules are there?

Many. Here are the first 5 from memory

The Directive of Liberal Pursuits

Rule #1: All necessary means are justified to achieve the common good.
Rule #2: Endeavor to make government an indispensable part of its citizen's lives.
Rule #3: Facilitate expansion of the size, complexity, scope and cost of government.
Rule #4: Leveling is the primary policy of government. Embrace policies that equalize.
Rule #5: Strive to redistribute wealth and property in a manner that appeals to the majority.

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