Governor, lawmakers to see 3 percent pay boost

SACRAMENTO — California Gov. Jerry Brown and state lawmakers will get 3 percent pay boosts in December, marking the fifth consecutive year of pay raises for state elected officials.

Brown’s salary will jump to nearly $196,000 and lawmakers’ to $107,000. That’s a roughly 18 percent jump since 2012, or more than $30,000 for Brown and $16,000 for lawmakers.

Meanwhile, wages for Californians in the private sector have, on average, grown between 1.2 and 2.4 percent annually since 2013, federal data shows.

Members of the California Citizens Compensation Commission approved the raises Monday. They noted elected officials’ salaries will still be lower than they were prior to the Great Recession. Then, the governor made $212,000 and lawmakers took home $116,000.

“It’s been 10 years and we have taken a very moderate approach,” commission member Matina Kolokotronis said.

At their current $104,000 salary, California lawmakers already take home the highest paycheck in the nation among state legislators, and Brown is one of the nation’s highest paid governors.