Portantino Introduces Salary Freeze Bill -- For the 8th Time

Will the eighth time be the charm?

Assemblyman Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge) again has introduced a measure to freeze the pay of California’s highest paid employees. The bill previously has stalled in committee when he introduced it.

AB 1787 calls for a two-year freeze on state employees who earn more than $100,000 – the freeze would affect thousands of state employees.

“It is unacceptable to be giving raises and bonuses when we are still struggling with a budget deficit in the billions and one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation,” Portantino wrote in a prepared statement.

"If President [Barack] Obama can freeze the salaries of White House employees making $100,000 or more, why can’t we do the same here in California?”

According to the press release, some 3, 300 state employees could be affected by the bill, with that number rising if University of California employees are included. The potential savings to the state would be in the tens of millions of dollars.

Portantino proposed this legislation as a way to show California residents that the government understands the financial difficulties families are facing due to the budget crisis. He sees freezing top-dollar salaries as a way to share the burden with seniors, students, children and tax payers, according to the news release.

In this bill's version, as with previous ones, public safety employees and employees covered by contracts would be exempt.