California Attorney General Opinion 24-404

BACKGROUND

California Citizens Compensation Commission

The California Citizens Compensation Commission exists to set compensation for elected state officers. 1 Until 1990, the responsibility for determining elected state officials’ compensation rested in the Legislature. In 1990, California voters reassigned that responsibility to a citizen-led commission by approving Proposition 112, which added Article III, section 8 to the California Constitution. The measure created a seven- member commission, composed entirely of private citizens appointed by the Governor, to establish and then annually adjust the salary and benefits of elected state officers, including members of the State Board of Equalization.

Whether the Commission is establishing or adjusting compensation, the factors it must consider are the same: the time commitment required to perform the official responsibilities; the level of compensation provided to officials with similar responsibilities; and the “responsibility and scope of authority of the entity in which the state officer serves.”

1 Cal. Const., art. III, § 8, subds. (a)-(e) (establishing structure and criteria). “Compensation” in this context means…