Lawsuit Filed Over Lawmaker Pay

Sacramento, CA — California’s Democratic legislative leaders have filed a lawsuit against State Controller John Chiang.

At issue was Chiang’s decision to withhold lawmaker pay last year for failing to pass a balanced budget. Chiang cited Proposition 25, a voter approved ballot measure, that requires the state to withhold pay if a balanced budget is not submitted by the June 15 Constitutional deadline.

Assembly Speaker John Perez and Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg say they are not seeking back pay, but want the courts to clarify whether Chiang violated the constitutional separation of powers.

Chiang has issued a statement saying that he welcomes the court review. “It is noteworthy to point out that the Legislature’s budget proposal was not only vetoed by the Governor for not being a ‘balanced solution,’ but it was determined by the Treasurer to not be financeable, and would have, within months of its passage led to the issuance of IOUs.”

The lawsuit against the Controller was filed in Sacramento County Superior Court.