Governor Signs 10% Pay Boost for Legislators

In what could be the last action of its kind, Gov. George Deukmejian on Thursday signed legislation raising the salaries of state lawmakers by 10%, from $40,816 to $44,898 a year.

Legislators have been empowered to increase their own salaries by 5% each year since 1966, when California voters approved a constitutional amendment that, in effect, made lawmaking a full-time occupation.

Over the years, the Legislature generally has opted for one 10% raise every two years. The pay raise, signed by Deukmejian without comment, will take effect after the November, 1990, elections.

The bill, by Sen. Robert G. Beverly (R-Manhattan Beach), may represent the last of its kind--depending on whether the voters next June approve a constitutional amendment on legislative ethics reform.

That proposal would outlaw acceptance of speaking fees by legislators, restrict outside income, limit gifts and stiffen conflict-of-interest rules. Additionally, it would create a commission to review and set compensation levels for lawmakers.

If the plan is enacted by the voters, the Legislature would be out of the business of setting its own salary. Supporters envision the commission potentially linking the salary of legislators to that of Superior Court judges, who now are paid $84,765 a year.

In addition to their salaries, lawmakers now receive about $20,000 a year in tax-free compensation for out-of-pocket board-and-room expenses.

Along with the pay bill, the governor Thursday signed legislation sponsored by citizen reformer Ralph Morrell that will require spending by legislators to be more closely audited and disclosed in greater detail to the public.

The bill, carried by Senate President Pro Tem David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles), will require members of the Senate and Assembly to itemize public funds spent on first-class air fare, meals, repairs on their state-leased vehicles, office remodeling and “ceremonies and events.”

In addition, it will require the state controller, custodian of the state’s checkbook, to examine the propriety of legislative claims for expenditures before payment is authorized.

The Legislature long has issued public reports on its expenditures, but historically the reports have been generalized and devoid of detail in keeping with the lawmakers’ penchant for fuzzing up how public money is spent by members and committees.

The governor also signed these bills:

- Drunk driving. Permits courts to confiscate cars from repeat drunk driving offenders. Carried by Sen. John Seymour (R-Anaheim), the bill also allows for forfeiture of a car when its driver is convicted of vehicular manslaughter. Funds from the sale of the car will go toward alcohol treatment programs for adolescents.

- Car dealers. Raises the fee that auto dealers can charge customers for filing registration documents from the current $25 per transaction to $35. The measure, by Sen. Ralph C. Dills (D-Gardena), will cost car and truck buyers in California an added $23 million a year.