California Gov. Jerry Brown is currently the longest-serving governor in California history, and will soon enjoy the distinction of being the highest paid governor in the country after a 3% pay raise.
According to an article by My MotherLode, a Gold Country newspaper, “the governor’s pay will go from around $190,000 to $196,000…[and] Jerry Brown will become the highest paid Governor in the country. Pennsylvania currently pays its governor just over $193,000.”
Unlike Jerry Brown, however, Pennsylvania’s Gov. Tom Wolf, also a Democrat, does not accept any salary.
The Sacramento Bee reports that every state politician will receive a similar pay raise:
The raises, approved Monday by the California Citizens Compensation Commission, come on top the 4 percent salary increases that kicked in late last year. Brown’s pay will climb from $190,102 to $195,805, while rank-and-file lawmakers will go from $104,117 to $107,240.
Salaries for other statewide politicians like Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Treasurer John Chiang also will rise.
One member of the commission, the Bee noted, said the December “increase was ‘reasonable’.”
The commission defended the percentage increase as lower than the increases recently granted to rank-and-file state workers.
Commissioners claim there is broad agreement that the governor’s salary has been too low.
“We’re still a little bit short,” Tom Dalzell, the panel’s longtime chairman told the Bee.
The Los Angeles Times reported that at least one taxpayer advocate — namely, Lew Uhler, head of the California-based National Tax Limitation Committee —is questioning “[t]he timing of the raises for lawmakers, coming two months after legislators voted to raise gas taxes and vehicle fees by $5.2 billion annually.”
Ironically, all seven members of the commission are appointed by the governor whose salary they are charged with determining. No conflict of interest here.
Tim Donnelly is a former California State Assemblyman and author who is doing a book tour for his new book: Patriot Not Politician: Win or Go Homeless. He ran for governor in 2014.
FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/tim.donnelly.12/
Twitter: @PatriotNotPol
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