It might strike some as strange for a man to celebrate a political victory by cutting his own pay. It might strike others as savvy.
Either way, that's exactly what California state Sen. Abel Maldonado did on Wednesday, a day after his proposal to block pay raises for state legislators during hard times was the only triumphant proposition of the six on the slate in Tuesday's special election.
"There's no reason why I shouldn't do it," the Santa Maria-based Republican told HispanicBusiness.com Wednesday afternoon. "We are in a huge mess right now."
Maldonado's pay cut means that his $116,000 salary will be knocked down to about $95,000, effective at the end of the month.
To be sure, the salaries of every California state legislator will eventually be shrunk to the same amount. On Wednesday, responding largely to the voters' enthusiastic support for Maldonado's measure -- 1F-- the Citizens Compensation Commission voted to slash the pay for statewide elected officials and all members of the state legislature by 18 percent.
But the pay cut by law cannot take effect until the terms of the current legislators expire, in December 2010.
The move is seen as a largely symbolic effort to reduce California's gaping $21 billion budget gap. The state works with a budget of about $143 billion.
Some have recently accused Maldonado of using California's deepening budget crisis as an opportunity to grandstand. He is rumored to be mulling a run for governor or some other statewide office as soon as 2010, despite there being three years left on his term.
It's a rumor he refused to confirm or deny on Wednesday when speaking to HispanicBusiness.com.
"Those are flattering rumors," he said. "The budget is the only thing we oughtta be focused on right now."
California is now about $21 billion in the hole.
The Maldonado office released a transcript of his testimony to the Citizens Compensation Commission committee Wednesday. In his remarks, he struck a populist tone.
"Yesterday, the people of this state made it very clear--legislators and constitutional officers are not immune to this fiscal crisis. They overwhelmingly passed Proposition 1F. They said, 'Enough is enough.'
"Will a pay cut be painful? Yes. But measured against the painful cuts we will force onto the people of California, this is a small sacrifice we all should make."
