Governor Gavin Newsom of California and other elected officials get salary boosts despite the fact that Newsom is under recall and the state owes millions of dollars in in legal fees for discriminating against churches by issuing arbitrary closure orders during the pandemic.
Gov. Newsom and 132 other elected state officials received 4.2 percent salary raises, which sparked widespread outrage when the California Citizens Compensation Commission (CCCC) approved the hikes earlier this week, reports California Globe.
The outlet noted that the CCCC is the Governor-appointed four-member panel which has previously voted for increases every year between 2013 and 2019, with the last vote being in 2013. This was halted last year when the CCCC refused to authorize a fresh set of wage hikes because of a $54.3 billion budget shortfall caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year's $38 billion to $76 billion surplus, as well as the state's progress in lowering COVID-19 rates, led to a vote in favor of pay increases by the CCCC. Newsom's salary will increase to $218,556 per year, with an increase of $8,809 per year beginning in December. A substantial increase in salary is also expected for state Assembly members and senators, who would get an additional $4,824 each year in compensation, bringing their combined annual salary to $119,701.
Almost all of the salary increases are expected to take effect at the end of the calendar year.
Because of the lingering economic effects of the pandemic, the increases for 2021 have been a source of controversy. Given that the bulk of the rest of California's economy has not received substantial pay raises in years, there is reason to be concerned about the Governor-appointed committee awarding legislators their biggest pay raise since 2013.
Recall election candidates have called on Newsom and other officials to refuse the wage hike, stating that they would not take one if they found themselves in a same position.
"It's an insult to taxpayers," said John Cox, a 2018 Gubernatorial candidate and a contender for the 2021 recall election, in a statement released on Thursday. "Over the last year, millions of Californians have lost their jobs and thousands of small businesses have been closed forever. The last thing Newsom and the political insiders should do is accept higher government salaries."
Additionally, he said that the governor "needs to apologize to Californians who have suffered through the pandemic while he and his family made millions from a charity that raises money from companies and individuals doing business with the state."
Kevin Faulconer, the former mayor of San Diego who is seeking to replace Newsom in a forthcoming recall election, believes Newsom should reject the salary raise, reports Sacramento Bee.
His remarks, via Twitter, included the fact that many Californians are still struggling as a result of the pandemic, which disadvantaged low-income families, and that the state is still trying to recoup billions of dollars in fraudulent unemployment benefits claims.
To counter criticism of their decision to boost the legislator's salary, the CCCC pointed out that other legislators had previously received increases and that the state's economy had improved enough to warrant an increase in compensation, CBN reports.
"This is an excellent example the folly of thinking that government will restrain its own power," comments Media Research Center over the politicians' pay increase saga.
