Gov. Wilson’s Appointees

* In its zeal to misrepresent Gov. Pete Wilson’s record (“Wilson’s Growing Payroll,” June 11), The Times overlooked the following important facts.

Wilson’s appointees are the first in modern California history to be denied automatic cost-of-living pay raises. His appointees are eligible for merit raises only, and Wilson is seeking to extend this merit-compensation system to the entire civil service.

Appointees of Wilson have received the smallest raises of any administration since Gov. Pat Brown. The Wilson Cabinet received a merit-based 8% increase (and still return 5% of their salaries to the taxpayer). Members of the Ronald Reagan gubernatorial Cabinet received a 32% increase, Jerry Brown’s Cabinet received a 45% raise and George Deukmejian’s Cabinet received a 53% raise.

The Times used a flawed process in reaching its conclusion that the number of political appointees increased from Deukmejian to Wilson. You compared the current Wilson appointee pool to that in the last four months of Deukmejian’s second term. Many of Deukmejian’s appointees, anticipating his retirement, had already left the state payroll for private sector jobs--reducing their number and making any comparison erroneous.

Similarly, The Times implied that Wilson had created a group of new taxpayer-funded jobs for his campaign workers. The fact is that Wilson has used the same statutory authority every previous governor has had to convert 54 jobs from civil service to appointed positions, enabling him to hire the best and brightest to work for the state. These are people whose talent would be lost because of civil service laws that prevent talented men and women with management experience in business, not government, from serving state taxpayers.

California’s general fund budget is $1.6 billion less today than in Wilson’s first year in office; Wilson has eliminated 125 outdated boards and commissions; he has ended automatic cost-of-living increases for state employees; and he has increased savings by leaving vacant more than 22,000 state government jobs. Wilson has refused to accept 5% of his salary.

Finally, the positions filled by governors are some of the most important in state government. These people have incredible responsibilities--The Times’ portrayal of them as a bunch of worthless political loyalists is an insult.

JULIA A. JUSTUS

Appointments Secretary

Gov. Pete Wilson’s Office

Sacramento