Jerry Brown
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline)-California Attorney General Jerry Brown on Tuesday narrowly escaped a 10 percent cut to his $184,301 annual salary.
Instead, the Democrat's pay, along with other elected state officials, will be frozen for the next year, a citizens committee that sets state officials' pay and benefits has decided.
The seven-member California Citizens Compensation Commission fell one vote shy of cutting pay for elected officials, including the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, legislators and other state elected officials.
Commission Chairman Charles Murray has argued the state should do more than just freeze officials' salaries at a time when the Golden State is facing a $15.2 billion revenue shortfall.
Murray voted against the freeze, in favor of a 10 percent cut.
"I think voting for a cut is our responsibility," Murray said.
For his part, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who does not accept his $212,179 annual salary, has proposed across-the-board budget cuts to help the state balance its books amid plummeting revenues.
Last year, the independent commission approved a 5 percent raise for the attorney general and state superintendent of schools and a 2.75 percent raise for state legislators and other state elected officials.
From Legal Newsline: Reach reporter Chris Rizo by e-mail at chrisrizo@legalnewsline.com.