State Controller Halts Lawmaker Pay

California’s state controller is halting pay for lawmakers, putting to use for the first time a voter-approved requirement aimed at getting the Legislature to approve budgets on time.

Controller John Chiang announced his decision Tuesday, saying lawmakers’ budget didn’t meet the state’s requirement for getting paid under Proposition 25, which voters approved in November.

Lawmakers will get their salaries and expenses back once they pass a balanced budget.

Chiang issued his decision after conducting an analysis of the budget pushed through by Democratic lawmakers last week on a simple majority vote.

Lawmakers said they believed that action allowed them to continue receiving paychecks, but Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed the package, saying he didn’t want to see billions more in borrowing or questionable maneuvers.

“While I think it’s fair to say that no one likes it when they don’t get paid, this was part of the deal when the voters gave us the majority vote authority,” said Assemblyman Manuel Prez ,D-Coachella. “Mr. Chiang is trying to uphold the intent of the voter initiative. He has a job to do, just like we do.”