California’s Chiang to Dock Lawmaker Pay, Judge Rules
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California Controller John Chiang’s decision to withhold lawmakers’ pay in a budget dispute last year overstepped his constitutional authority, a judge said in a tentative ruling.
Chiang doesn’t have the power under a state constitutional amendment passed by voters in 2010 to determine if a budget approved by the Legislature is legally balanced, Sacramento County Superior Court Judge David Brown said in the ruling. The amendment, known as Proposition 25, bars lawmakers from getting paid if they fail to pass a balanced budget on time.