California Governor, Lawmakers Get 3 Percent Pay Boost
SACRAMENTO (AP) - California elected officials are getting a 3 percent pay increase for the sixth straight year, pushing Gov. Jerry Brown's salary above $200,000 just before he leaves offices.
A citizen board approved the pay hikes Tuesday, bumping Brown's salary from $196,000 to $202,000 starting in December.
Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom will be paid $151,000. Rank-and-file members of the Legislature will get a $3,500 raise to about $110,000, while leaders make more. California's lawmakers already are the highest paid in the nation.
Lawmakers also earn a tax-free per diem while the Legislature is in session, currently $192 per day, which was not affected by Tuesday's action.
The attorney general, controller, treasurer, secretary of state, superintendent of public instruction and insurance commissioner will also get raises, as will members of a state tax panel, the Board of Equalization.
Brown's pay is up $36,000 since 2013, while lawmakers are taking home $20,000 more. However, their pay still hasn't returned to the level it was at before the Great Recession, when the governor's salary peaked at $212,179 and lawmakers' at $116,208.
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press.