California governor, lawmakers to get 4% raise
A state commission voted Friday to increase Governor Gavin Newsom's salary from $202,000 to around $210,000 in December.
The Citizens Compensation Commission also agreed to give a 4% raise to legislators and other state elected officials, such as the lieutenant governor and treasurer.
Chairman Tom Dalzell cited the health of the state's economy and California's budget surplus for the move.
"California remains high," he said of pay for state officials. "So is our cost of living."
Newsom will not be the highest-paid governor, however. While America's most populous state currently has the highest-earning chief executive, the New York Legislature voted this year to pay Gov. Andrew Cuomo a salary of $225,000 in 2020 and $250,000 in 2021.
But the governor will still earn far more than California's median income, which is around $71,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
This will mark the seventh year in a row California's governor has gotten a raise and Newsom's pay will near a previous peak for the job of around $212,000.
Rank-and-file members of the 120-seat Legislature earn around $110,000, still below a past peak of around $116,000. The lieutenant governor is paid around $151,000, the attorney general around $175,000 and the controller and treasurer around $161,000.
Created in 1990 following a statewide vote, the commission is appointed by the governor and usually meets once a year to set the salaries as well as benefits for California's elected officers. The Legislature was previously responsible for setting the salaries of state elected officials.