Despite the fact that he asked state workers in May to take a pay cut and promised he would do the same, California Governor Gavin Newsom continued to collect his full monthly salary of $17,479, as the Sacramento Bee reported.
As an elected state official in California, Newson is not enjoined to take a pay cut, but in May he stated, “Nothing breaks my heart more than making budget cuts … Let me sum up here, quickly. Also recognize this: you can’t have a conversation about budget deficits, and you can’t have a conversation about sacrifice unless you lead by example. And I want folks to know that none of us in state government will be immune from tightening our belts and committing to help the cause and help support those most in need.”
“And so we’re asking, across the board, for 10% contribution in wages,” he continued. ”We’ll be negotiating and bargaining with each bargaining unit in the state of California. I know this is the last thing that our partners want to hear, but unfortunately, we’re in a position where it’s required of all of us. And by the way, including me and including my entire staff.”
“The state made the reductions for most workers using a personal leave program, which cuts workers’ pay by the equivalent of two days of work — 9.23% of their monthly pay — and in exchange gives them two flexible days off to use at their discretion,” the Sacramento Bee noted.
A spokesman for Newsom’s office responded to the issue by stating it had been an oversight, adding, “The Governor publicly committed to taking the same pay cut as other state workers when he introduced his budget in May and has officially asked the Controller to adjust his pay, effective July 1. The reductions for both July and August will be deduced for the next pay period,” Fox News reported.
On Wednesday, Newsom sent a letter to the Controller’s Office asking to reduce his pay retroactively to July 1.
Fox News added, “Sacramento’s KOVR also reported that PlumpJack, a Northern California-based winery and hospitality company, founded and partly owned by Newsom, was open through early July – well after Newsom ordered all essential business closed in March.”
Fox News noted that PlumpJack obtained a loan worth $150,000 to $350,000 from the Paycheck Protection Program, according to the Treasury Department.
“Before taking office as governor in 2019, Newsom announced he would step away from his businesses and put his assets in a blind trust managed by a family friend and attorney. ‘You would have to ask the people that are running those businesses,’ Newsom said in response to a question about why his company applied for the loan,” KOVR reported, adding, “Newsom’s company, PlumpJack Management Group, LLC, is part of a portfolio of brands that include a resort hotel near Lake Tahoe, five restaurants and bars, four Napa Valley wineries, a sports retailer and more.”