The California Citizens Compensation Commission (CCCC) voted to give Governor Gavin Newsom a nearly $9,000 raise, The Los Angeles Times reported.
The raise was voted for unanimously and would also apply to 132 other elected state officials. It would go into effect in December, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The CCCC is mandated to meet annually by June 30 to determine if any salary increases are necessary for elected state officials, according to the Los Angeles Times. Newsom’s salary would get a boost of $8,800 to $218,500 per year, the outlet reported. (RELATED: Gov. Newsom Challenger’s ‘Weanie Baby’ Post Briefly Censored By Instagram)
A recall effort to remove Newsom from office was created last June and it got over two million signatures.
Newsom’s Republican gubernatorial challengers criticized the announcement of the increase in salary, Fox News reported.
John Cox, a business owner and Republican candidate for governor, released a statement that the vote to raise the governor’s salary was an “insult to taxpayers” and highlighted that California’s elected officials are already the highest paid in the country, according to Fox News.
“Over the last year, millions of Californians have lost their jobs and thousands of small businesses have been closed forever,” Cox said. “The last thing Newsom and the political insiders should do is accept higher government salaries.”
Republican gubernatorial candidate and former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer suggested Newsom should reject the raise on Twitter.
My thoughts on Gavin Newsom getting a pay raise during a recall: pic.twitter.com/tBr6UQrI3K
— Kevin Faulconer (@Kevin_Faulconer) June 10, 2021
“Now is not the time for a salary increase for Gov. Newsom,” he said in a video. “Millions of Californians have lost their jobs. We have $30 billion in unemployment fraud. Gov. Newsom, reject the salary increase today.”
