Governor and other statewide elected officials also getting a raise

A panel of appointed citizens has approved 3 percent raises for California Gov. Jerry Brown, top statewide elected officials and state lawmakers.

The Citizens Compensation Commission on Monday approved the salary increase, which continues restoring pay to pre-recession levels. The increase was approved unanimously on a 4-0 vote by the panel, all Brown appointees.

Rank-and-file California lawmakers will now make six-figure salaries of $100,113. They are already the nation’s best-compensated legislators. The commission previously cut lawmaker pay 18 percent and eliminated access to state-owned vehicles during the recession.

Brown will make $179,220 under the commission’s vote. That’s still well below his predecessor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s peak salary of $212,179 in 2008.

The commission also approved higher state contributions for health and dental benefits, to the same level as state managers.