SACRAMENTO – An attempt to freeze state elected officials' salaries when California is battling budget deficits got a frosty reception yesterday from a Senate committee.
The Rules Committee voted 3-1 to reject a constitutional amendment that would bar the Citizens Compensation Commission from handing out raises to the governor, legislators and other state elected officers in any year in which the legislative analyst determines there is a deficit.
Sen. Jim Battin, R-Palm Desert, said the threat of a pay freeze or cut could give legislators the “perverse incentive” to support tax increases to balance the budget.
Associated Press
Fee on emissions
OK'd for Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – Air pollution regulators in the San Francisco Bay Area voted overwhelmingly yesterday to approve new rules that impose fees on businesses for emitting greenhouse gasses.
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District's board of directors voted 15-1 to charge companies 4.4 cents per ton of carbon dioxide they emit, an agency spokeswoman said.
Experts say the fees, which cover the nine Bay Area counties, are the first of their kind in the country. The new rules are set to take effect July 1. The modest fee probably won't be enough to force companies to reduce their emissions, but backers say it sets an important precedent in combating climate change.
Associated Press
