Maldonado’s fate in the hands of lawmakers whose pay he wanted slashed
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Liberals and conservatives have both found reasons to shout for the rejection of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s choice for lieutenant governor, Sen. Abel Maldonado (R-Santa Maria).
Three Assembly Democrats held a news conference Monday calling Maldonado’s voting record anti-environment and anti-worker. Republicans have criticized his support for last year’s tax increases in the state budget. But there’s one more reason why lawmakers may not like Maldonado’s political portfolio -- he lobbied to have their pay cut. Last May, Maldonado testified before the state Citizens Compensation Commission, the board that controls salaries for lawmakers, asking them to slash legislative pay.
He followed up with a letter to state Controller John Chiang that read, ‘Of all of the cuts that are being discussed right now, one part of government remains immune -- the Legislature. I have always said that this economic crisis is about shared pain and shared sacrifice.’
The commission obliged, opting to slash legislative pay and stipends for living expenses by 18%, lowering lawmakers’ base salary from $116,000 to $95,000. That shared sacrifice may be easier for Maldonado to bear than many of his colleagues. According to Statements of Economic Interest, Maldonado is among the richest legislators in Sacramento, with an ownership stake in companies worth at least $20 million. His family business, Agro-Jal Farming Enterprises Inc., and its subsidiaries, constitute a multimillion dollar farming and processing operating on the Central Coast.
Maldonado does not draw a salary from any of his family businesses and has said that he lives off his Senate pay. Maldonado now faces a tough confirmation fight in the Assembly. And his political future rests with the same lawmakers who are now earning $21,000 less than they were before, thanks in part to his efforts.
We’ll see if they repay him in kind.
-- Anthony York in Sacramento