SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – A political rift has appeared in a citizens panel that oversees compensation for California lawmakers and statewide elected officials. During the panel’s first meeting of the year Thursday, the chairman appointed by Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown said the commission had overreached its powers in eliminating taxpayer-funded vehicles for lawmakers. Thomas Dalzell’s approach was met with resistance from Republican appointees, including former chairman Charles Murray. Under Murray’s leadership, the panel reduced elected officials’ pay by 18 percent and eliminated the vehicle program. Dalzell said eliminating state-owned vehicles could end up costing taxpayers more in the long run because the Legislature has started paying lawmakers 53 cents per mile for travel. Murray called that prediction “absurd.” The commission was created by voters in 1990 to set salaries, insurance and “other similar benefits.”
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