Attorney General Brown asked to decide legality of legislative pay cuts in California

Sacramento Bee ^ | 11/6/9 | Dan Smith, Bee Capitol Bureau Chief

[SmithL]

The Legislature's top administrators have asked Attorney General Jerry Brown to decide whether pending 18 percent cuts to lawmakers' pay and benefits were legally approved by the California Citizens Compensation Commission.

Jon Waldie, chief administrative officer of the Assembly, and Greg Schmidt, chief executive officer of the Senate, suggest that the reductions were beyond the jurisdiction of the seven-member commission, which is appointed by the governor.

Citing the state's dire fiscal condition, the panel in May cut the pay for state officials by 18 percent beginning in December 2010 – after the next round of legislative elections. The cut will reduce the annual pay of a legislator from $116,208 to $95,291. Meanwhile, annual pay for legislative leaders will drop from $133,639 to $109,584.

A month later, the board voted to slash per-diem payments, car allowances and medical and other fringe benefits by 18 percent, effective in December of this year.

Nathan Barankin, spokesman for Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, said Schmidt acted without consulting Steinberg because Schmidt is in charge of administering the payroll system in the upper house and "he wants to make sure he complies with the law."

Shannon Murphy, spokeswoman for Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles, said she does not know if Bass authorized the opinion request, but noted that Bass' chief of staff, Nolice Edwards, was aware of it.

"We respect the citizens compensation commission, but they have to follow the constitution," Murphy said in a statement. "Getting legal clarity about what they can truly do under the constitution is absolutely appropriate."

The letter from Waldie and Schmidt asks Brown to assess the legality of the cuts on a number of grounds "to provide us guidance."

[JoanneSD]

These cock roaches dont seem to ask if it is against the law to take 10% more california taxes out of my pay check, with the promise of paying it back next year....only roaches in government can borrow my money without paying interest...

[notaliberal]

Shannon Murphy, spokeswoman for Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles, said she does not know if Bass authorized the opinion request, but noted that Bass' chief of staff, Nolice Edwards, was aware of it. "We respect the citizens compensation commission, but they have to follow the constitution," Murphy said in a statement. "Getting legal clarity about what they can truly do under the constitution is absolutely appropriate."

The Dems care about the Constitution when it concerns THEIR pocketbooks! POS!

[proudCArepublican]

Let’s see I live in CA and they want to squeeze me so hard in taxes I can’t breathe but the very people telling me I need to pay more, and take cuts wont take one themselves. Figures.
Why do these fools in Sac need to make over a $100,000 with perks for doing exactly what.

[Random Access]

Well, Jerry Brown might be the wrong one to ask about this. He might be many things but Jerry has never lived the high life. He is pretty frugal in his personal life and has never made any attempt to use his political position to amass a personal fortune.

[SmithL]

never made any attempt to use his political position to amass a personal fortune

It was good for picking up chicks, though.

[boop]

Don’t forget the 100K pensions for life.