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Assemblymember Portantino Continues the Fight to Freeze Salaries of
Highest Paid State Employees
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 28, 2010
CONTACT: Michael Tamariz
(916) 319-2044
SACRAMENTO, CA – Assembly Member Anthony Portantino (D – La Ca ñada Flintridge), has
reintroduced legislation to implement a salary freeze on State employees who earn $150,000 or more. Portantino
reintroduced AB8X 33 a day after President Obama stressed the idea that government must tighten its fiscal belt
in his first State of the Union speech.
The bill seeks to implement a two year salary freeze on the states highest earners as a way to save the state as much
as $17 million if implemented across all state departments and agencies. As with previous versions of the
legislation, state employees covered by MOU’s would be exempt to honor existing contracts.
“California continues to stand at the edge of a budgetary cliff, and the legislature is again preparing to ask many of
our most vulnerable individuals to bear the budget burden,” said Portantino. “I find it unacceptable to ask college
students and their parents to pay higher fees while giving raises and bonuses to the highest paid employees in
California, many of whom work in the CSU and UC system.”
California faces and estimated $20 billion deficit through the end of the 2010-11 fiscal year. The Governor has
proposed numerous cuts to social programs and health and human services as well as a reduction in Proposition 98
funding and eliminating tax breaks to close the deficit. The money saved by AB8X 33 would be a direct savings to
the General Fund and result in fewer vital services being cut.
“This legislation was important when I introduced it last year, this year it is critical,” added Portantino.
AB8X 33 is currently awaiting referral to policy committee in the 8th Extraordinary Session.
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