Orange County Register

Here’s a big one for the “Oops, that sure backfired!” file:

We told you yesterday that the California Legislature quietly tried to block an 18 percent cut to its pay and perks (even as the state budget was hemorrhaging) by raising questions about the legality of such cuts. Legislators appealed to the Attorney Generalfor an opinion on whether the citizens commission that ordered the cuts had the authority to do so - and the AG said yes, yes, most certainly yes!

Those cuts were originally to take effect in December 2010, at the start of a brand new term. But the AG said, essentially, “Why wait?” The cuts can legally take effect midstream in an elected’s term, in his opinion, and so they will - beginning next month. That will save the state some $2.8 million. (A very small drop in the $21 billion bucket, but every little bit helps. See chart of officials’ salaries below.)

“In hindsight, it might have been better to let sleeping dogs lie,” said Chuck Murray, chairman of the  California Citizens Compensation Commission, which ordered the cuts, to the San Francisco Chronicle. 

Of course, this doesn’t mean the game is over. Read the rest of this entry »

By Teri Sforza and Lindsey Ambrose

Pity the poor California senators and Assembly members! Not only are they presiding over a state that seems to be spiraling down the toilet – they’re going down (some) with the ship as well.

Just one day after the Legislative Analyst’s Office announced that California is staring a new $21 billion budget deficit in the face, legislators got the really bad news: Their pay and perks can, and apparently will, be sliced 18 percent to help deal with the shortfall. (That means a drop from $116,208 to $95,291 for legislators, and from $133,639 to $109,584 for legislative leaders.)

In May, a heavy-hearted citizens’ commission ordered up the cuts (despite the incredibly good job the Legislature is doing). Then, in September, the Legislature quietly asked the attorney general whether that citizens’ commission had the legal authority to order those cuts, and offered pages of legal arguments as to why it did not. (Some cynical types interpreted that as an attempt to dodge the bullet.)

Today, though, Attorney General Jerry Brown dashed those hopes. Read the rest of this entry »