California elected officials face no pay cuts despite economic turmoil brought by coronavirus pandemic

Despite millions of people continuing to face unemployment, garnished wages, or pay cuts, elected officials in California can consider their salaries safe from reductions during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

A citizens' panel on Thursday decided not to cut the salaries of state lawmakers and other statewide elected officials, stirring controversy amid other public groups and state officials, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“It’s a question of optics, that with all the pain being inflicted on individuals and small business, it’s unseemly that the highest-paid legislators in America [until recently] aren’t sharing in the pain,” said Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.

Part of the reasoning behind the decision was that the state Legislature hadn't met as frequently as it normally would because of the pandemic, meaning lawmakers were earning less than their annual salaries. The cost of living in Sacramento was also taken into consideration.

The base salary for a California legislator is at $114,877, which was the highest in the nation until New York bumped its lawmakers' commission up to $120,000 in January.

The action also maintained the salary levels for the lieutenant governor, attorney general, treasurer, controller, secretary of state, insurance commissioner, superintendent of public instruction, and members of the Board of Equalization.

The vote also didn't affect the governor's salary, but Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom had already vowed to take a 10% reduction in his own pay on top of other rank-and-file state workers starting July 1. Newsom has an annual salary of $209,747.

California is expected to face a $54.3 billion deficit for the fiscal year, starting on July 1, largely exacerbated by the pandemic. The economic impact of the pandemic has led the country into nearing a 15% unemployment rate, with an expectation to worsen in the coming months.