State panel delays action on pay raises for governor, legislators

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Jerry Brown is paid less than some mayors and city managers in California, but a state panel that sets his salary balked Thursday at giving him and lawmakers a pay raise, saying it wants more information before making a decision.

The state Citizens Compensation Commission agreed to postpone action on whether to increase salaries for state elected officials after considering surveys that compare their pay with that of other government officials.

Commission Chairman Thomas Dalzell proposed “in light of no final budget, that we do as we have done before and reconvene in June and then take action.”

Commissioner Wilma Wallace said a “very modest increase” might be considered, given that officials received a 5% increase in December.

Wallace said one guide that might be used in determining any raises is the consumer price index, which rose 1.6% in the 12 months ending in January, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Dalzell said data from salary surveys of other government officials support the position that raises are justified.

A new survey by the panel’s staff found that the governor and other statewide elected officials were paid significantly less last year than the city managers in Los Angeles ($279,270), San Jose ($227,975), San Francisco ($244,042) and Sacramento ($258,000).

Gov. Brown’s $173,987 annual salary is also smaller than the pay received by the mayors of Los Angeles ($232,426) San Diego ($296,213) and San Francisco ($260,574).

Brown is also paid less than the governors of Pennsylvania ($187,256), New York ($179,000) and Illinois ($177,412) received last year, but more than the governors of Texas ($150,000), Florida ($130,273) and Ohio ($148,886).

The base pay for California legislators ($95,291) continues to be the highest in the country, followed by Pennsylvania, where lawmakers are paid $83,801, and New York, where the pay is $79,500.

However, more legislators in New York get extra pay for committee assignments, and lawmakers in that state and Pennsylvania get pensions, something not provided to their current counterparts in California.

The panel is appointed by the governor but was created as an independent entity by the state’s voters.

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patrick.mcgreevy@latimes.com