Local State Senator Refuses to Take Pay Cut

A politician from Inglewood is one of two state senators to refuse to cut their own pay by 5 percent as California faces financial cataclysm, it was reported Saturday.

Sen. Rod Wright is keeping his entire salary and is "choosing not to disclose his personal business," said spokesman Fahizah Alim in an interview with the Daily Breeze.

Base salary for California's state senators is $116,000 per year, and they are eligible for up to $35,000 in per diem expenses.

Of the 40 senators, only Wright and Sen. Roy Ashburn, R-Bakersfield, have refused to reduce their compensation.

Most senators have refunded 5 percent of their pay to the state, and some have contributed larger amounts. Senate employees will have their pay cut 5 percent as well.

The Democrat from the South Bay, whose district stretches from Inglewood to Long Beach, was elected to the Senate in 2008 after serving in the Assembly.

The Senate and Assembly have yet to pass a new budget to address the predicted $24 billion gap between expenditures and revenue, which has been dramatically hurt by the enormous recession.