Control Board Raises Per Diem of State Lawmakers $4, to $92

Daily expense money paid to legislators has been increased from $88 to $92. This comes in the wake of last November’s voter approval of Proposition 140, ordering them to severely reduce their operating expenses.

The move was carried out by the State Board of Control, which is required to increase the legislative per diem each time the rate goes up for federal employees who travel, as it did recently.

Legislators are paid expense money every day that they are in session as long as they do not recess for more than three days in a row. The money is tax free and is designed to defray travel costs and maintenance of a second residence in Sacramento.

A special state salary commission also granted the legislators a 28.6% pay increase, from $40,816 to $52,500 a year, starting last December. Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco) and Senate President Pro Tem David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles) received 20% more, boosting their annual salaries to $63,000. Minority leaders receive 10% more than their rank-and-file colleagues.

The salary commission was created when the voters approved Proposition 112 last June as part of a legislative ethics reform package.

GOVERNOR

Appointed former Republican congressman Norman Shumway of Stockton and Daniel Fessler, a Republican and UC Davis law professor, to the state Public Utilities Commission. The jobs pay $92,465 a year. Both appointments are subject to Senate confirmation.

Will address the YMCA Model Legislature in Sacramento on Friday.

ASSEMBLY

Bill Introductions

* Cigarettes: AB 458 by Assemblyman Gerald Felando (R-San Pedro) would increase the state cigarette tax from 35 cents to 45 cents a pack, with the additional revenue going into the sagging state general fund rather than a special fund designed to help pay for programs to reduce tobacco use.

* Water: AB 455 by Assemblyman Dominic Cortese (D-San Jose) would prohibit local governmental agencies from approving construction projects until the builder identifies a long-term, reliable water supply to serve the project.

* Auto Insurance: AB 463 by Assemblywoman Gwen Moore (D-Los Angeles) would require the state insurance commissioner to conduct a study and report to the Legislature by July 1, 1992, on the feasibility of an assigned-risk auto insurance plan that charges motorists based on their ability to pay.

* Parking Fines: AB 468 by Assemblyman Johan Klehs (D-Castro Valley) would impose a fine of at least $100 for any person who parks a vehicle in a stall or space designated as a bus zone.

SENATE

Floor Action

* War in the Gulf: Passed on a 25-0 vote and returned to the Assembly for concurrence in amendments a resolution (AJR 11) by Assemblyman Gil Ferguson (R-Newport Beach) supporting President Bush’s action to end Iraq’s occupation of Kuwait and condemning the attacks on Israel by Iraq.

Bill Introductions

* Bill Limits: SCR 18 by Sen. Gary K. Hart (D-Santa Barbara) would limit members of the Senate to introducing a maximum of 65 bills and members of the Assembly to introducing a maximum of 40 bills during the 1991-92 session.

* Ballot Measures: SB 321 by Sen. Quentin Kopp (I-San Francisco) would require the state ballot pamphlet to include a summary statement of the true meaning of yes and no votes cast on propositions.

* Public Meetings: SB 294 by Sen. Charles Calderon (D-Whittier) would require the Legislature to announce when any meeting of the Assembly and Senate is closed to the public because the subject matter is personnel or litigation.

* Elephant Cruelty: SB 318 by Sen. Dan McCorquodale (D-San Jose) would prohibit keeping elephants in chains for long periods in zoos or circuses.

Capital Fact

The official state colors are Yale blue and golden yellow, which also are the colors of the University of California and its various branches.