California is In the midst of yet another (utterly predictable) state budget crisis, which means that pressure to find savings anywhere and everywhere is running high. It's against that backdrop that the California Citizens Compensation Commission announced earlier today that they are cutting pay for state legislators and statewide elected officials by five percent. But even with these slightly reduced pay scales, a fundamental question still remains: are Californians getting value proportional to the salaries they're paying their elected officials?
Under the new standards, state legislators are still scheduled to make just over $90,000 per year, with higher salaries going to the handful of members who serve in leadership positions. While considerably lower than California's high-water mark (an astonishing $116,000 per annum, which was finally reduced in 2009), the Golden State still easily leads the nation in legislative pay, with second-ranked Pennsylvania nearly $10,000 behind. And what do Californians get in return?
According to the recent "Rich States, Poor States" study by the American Legislative Exchange Council, California is hemorrhaging citizens faster than any state other than New York. By way of comparison, look at the top five states for net domestic migration according to the ALEC study. In first place Florida, legislators pull down less than $30,000 a year. In second place Texas, the part-time legislature receives a measly $7,200 per year. The same trend holds in Arizona (third place -- $24,000 a year), North Carolina (fourth place -- under $14,000 a year), and Georgia (fifth place -- under $17,500 a year).
When it comes to legislative salaries, California taxpayers are overpaying and the public sector is underperforming. Unfortunately, that's a metaphor for the broader status of public affairs in the Golden State.
According to the recent "Rich States, Poor States" study by the American Legislative Exchange Council, California is hemorrhaging citizens faster than any state other than New York. By way of comparison, look at the top five states for net domestic migration according to the ALEC study. In first place Florida, legislators pull down less than $30,000 a year. In second place Texas, the part-time legislature receives a measly $7,200 per year. The same trend holds in Arizona (third place -- $24,000 a year), North Carolina (fourth place -- under $14,000 a year), and Georgia (fifth place -- under $17,500 a year).
When it comes to legislative salaries, California taxpayers are overpaying and the public sector is underperforming. Unfortunately, that's a metaphor for the broader status of public affairs in the Golden State.
