Pay Raise for Medical Panel

Re “Obscure State Panelists Get $20,000 Raise” (April 2) and “State’s Pricey Part-Timers” (editorial, April 3): You’re joking, right? Let me see--we California taxpayers are going to be shelling out almost three-quarters of a million dollars a year to pay the “part-time” salaries of seven fortunate--and wily, I might add--individuals who work 72 hours a year on the outside (that’s $1,375 per hour each), and all the time without our knowing about it! I guess their former salary ($78,624) was a bargain at only $1,092 hourly.

I wonder how many more of these interesting “little known” boards and commissions exist in city, county, state and federal government. What I don’t wonder is why we’re perpetually in debt.

LINDA TURCO

Los Angeles

* Richard Katz claims that the California Medical Assistance Commission has saved the taxpayers $1 billion. But has he ever thought that a different panel composed of real professionals (not politicians) without outrageous salaries could have saved the taxpayers $2 billion or more?

Also, Gov. Pete Wilson and those Sacramento politicians may think they deserve those hefty raises, believing that they have “saved” the state millions of dollars by not giving state workers any raises in the past three years!

PATRICK FANG

La Mirada

* It’s not bad enough that state elected officials are going to receive pay raises of 26%-34%, but now members of the Medical Assistance Commission will be getting a $20,000 raise. As a hard-working state employee, I would like to work twice a month for two or three hours and make $99,000 a year.

Where has the $1 billion that they have saved the state gone? It certainly hasn’t gone to state employee raises! It is becoming more and more apparent that our elected officials are only interested in their careers and what office they can run for next. The only satisfaction the taxpayer gets is knowing that term limits will eventually rid us of these self-centered, egotistical politicians who think the world revolves around them.

JANET RAFFALOW

Van Nuys

* On Jan. 25 my wife passed away. SSI was notified the next day. Both of our checks are automatic deposit and were entered on our February bank statement. I received a letter March 26 from SSI stating that I would have to repay her check for $404 for January (it would not be prorated).

On March 27 The Times reports that California’s governor and state legislators will get a 26% to 34% increase in pay raises. My wife died six days too soon to get $404. I was told by my interviewer that if I didn’t like the decision I should write my congressman. Yeah, sure.

JAMES D. STANDISH

Whittier