“State Assembly leaders Wednesday rescinded $551,000 in pay raises recently awarded to 136 legislative staffers, acknowledging that the pay hikes sent the wrong message at a time when the state is in financial crisis and tens of thousands of other government employees have had their salaries cut,” according to the L.A. Times.
Unbelievable! Democratic Assembly Speaker Karen Bass and lame Republican Assembly leader Mike Villines doled out raises to their staffers while trying to convince us to raise our taxes because the state is broke.
Bass said “she was concerned that the increases, which averaged 5%, had become a distraction from the campaign she is leading for approval of six budget-related ballot measures in the May 19 special election.”
Really Karen? Duh! How did such a ding dong end up being the Assembly Speaker?
As for Villines, “State GOP officials will ask Mike Villines, R-Clovis (Fresno County), to resign as Assembly minority leader after the May 19 election, a former party leader told a Modesto radio station Wednesday,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Seriously? Why wait until after the election? Boot him now you gutless Republicans! This guy wants to raise our taxes – he has to go!
Here is what Villines has to say about the dreadful Schwarzenegger ballot measures, “”I believe that these reforms and initiatives are very important to California and we’re not going to structurally fix the state without them.”
Wrong! Villines and Bass are both crazy. Doling out raises to staffers during an alleged budget crisis speaks volumes. They can cancel that raise – but now we know what they think of us. They think we are all idiots! vote no on Prop. 1A-1E – but I will be voting yes on 1F to make sure the legislators don’t get raises during our perpetual budget crisis.
One Bay Area editorial suggested the folowing:
It’s good that Bass backed down. Unfortunately, her reasoning — that the raises would be a distraction — misses the point. The raises were just plain wrong. At a time when almost everyone else is being asked to tighten their belts, these Assembly staffers should not be exempt.
We fear Bass and Villines will resurrect this stupid idea after the heat of the election passes. Perhaps it’s time to let them know how you feel. Call Bass at 916-319-2047. Call Villines at 916-319-2029.
These Assembly leaders are absolutely without shame…
Look at the candidates you put up to run against these people – big time losers.
LOst their 5% raise. How much was their COLA?
could you belive these people . karen bass what a giant zero . and we keep putting these clowns in office . VOTE THEM ALL OUT is the only way we can get some kind of order in sacramento .