The State - News from May 13, 1986

An initiative proposal by political gadfly Paul Gann to limit the salaries of state officials, legislators and other officeholders has qualified for the Nov. 4 ballot, Secretary of State March Fong Eu announced. Eu said it is the first measure to win a spot on the November general election ballot. She said a projection based on random samples of 52 counties showed backers of the proposal submitted 729,421 valid voter signatures. A total of 630,136 signatures was needed to place the measure on the ballot. The measure would limit the salaries of state officials, legislators, judges and local government employees and would allow future pay raises to take effect only after a vote of the people. Maximum pay for state and local elected and appointed officials would be limited to 80% of the governor’s salary, or $64,000, as of January, 1987, which is less than what many top-level officials currently receive.