California Controller John Chiang has said he will withhold lawmakers’ salaries if they fail to pass a balanced budget by June 15.
Voters approved Proposition 25 last year that required the Legislature to forfeit their salary and travel and living expenses from June 16 until the budget is presented to the governor.
“In passing Proposition 25 last November, voters clearly stated they expect their representatives to make the difficult decisions needed to resolve any budget shortfalls by the mandatory deadline, or be penalized,” Chiang said in a press release last week. “I will enforce the voters’ demand.”
Chiang said his analysis of state law found that the proposition cannot be “read in a vacuum” and must also include another law, Proposition 58, that requires the Legislature to turn in a balanced budget.
