Despite belt-tightening, two former Assembly members get high-paying jobs from governor

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger faced criticism recently for finding six-figure jobs on state boards and commissions for a favored few -- departing political aides, termed-out lawmakers -- who needed soft landing spots when their tenures ended.

The governor's timing was bad: He had just ordered state workers furloughed two days a month because of California's cash crisis. He has made more appointments. He put former Assemblyman Greg Aghazarian, a Republican from Stockton, on the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board for a salary of $128,109 a year.

Term limits forced Aghazarian to leave the Legislature at the end of November. Schwarzenegger also appointed former Assemblywoman Nicole Parra of Hanford as director of the Governor’s Regional Development Initiatives under the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency.

Parra is a Democrat who angered party leaders last year when she endorsed a Republican for the Assembly seat she was forced to vacate because of term limits. Her post pays $128,124 a year.

-- Patrick McGreevy

Photo: Assemblyman Greg Aghazarian (R-Stockton). Credit Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press

Comments

[adoptivefather]

I'm starting to understand why we are in a budget mess.

[P J Evans]

Ahnold should pay their salaries himself, if it's so important to him that these people have good jobs in state government.

[Kenneth Garcia]

So our President freezes salaries for aides and our governor continues to hand out overpaid posts for jobs that really aren't necessary. Really?

[stephanie]

Typical government. Those people with the high paying jobs should go a week without pay. Not the social workers or people that actually work. I do not know how they sleep at night knowing that more and more people are losing their jobs and becoming homeless. Just ADDING to the 80,000 (and growing) homeless population in LA alone. PATHETIC, I say.

[L. perez]

Looks like someone needs to pay people out of his own pocket. No one should be paid that much money for doing there job. No wonder we are in trouble. Why doesn't he pay them $50k and keep our kids education in tact.

[August]

When these positions were NOT filled no one missed out on anything, now we are out another $250,000 plus the salaries of their gofers, offices, cars, their payoffs & bribes......

[Kathy]

The rules are different for friends of the governor than for the actual work force. Everyone must make sacrifices unless you've paid your political dues to the governator. Then it's a free ride, a cushy job. So come on all you state workers, suck it up, someone has to pay for his friends' slurping at your trough.

No matter what he rhetoric it always comes back to same old behavior.

[Marlena Gomez]

Pure Insanity! All Boards and Commissions should be immediately disbanded, all workers earning $80K or more should have their salaries cut 10%, all state departments should immediately cut 10% of their budgets starting at the TOP! At least 5 holidays should be cut from every employee - schools don't need to close 5 extra days - teachers should just not be paid for 5 holidays that the kids are off, the free food programs should be reevaluated and some cost saving measures be taken - I am sure there is alot of food that gets thrown away but nobody cares because it's FREE!!!!!- Every other cut should be made before they start hurting education, the disabled and the very poor - SHAME ON THE GOVERNOR AND THE LEGISLATURE

[Brady Westwater]

The Governor is required to make these appointments by law since the legislature has consistently refused to pass his proposals to reform these highly overpaid political positions. And some LAT articles have pointed this out in the past.

[DVS]

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!?? Who does this clown think he is!!??
President Obama has just frozen the salaries of nearly 100 employees and Arnold, this jackass, after telling state employees to stay home a few days a month, pleading with us to help with a spiraling budget deficit, has the balls to hire 6 six-figure employees!!?? And he does this because they "needed soft landing spots" Well guess what, SO DO I!! Where's my 6-figure-a-year-job!!?? THIS IDIOT HAS GOT TO GO!!! We have put up with his crap long enough! He and his administration of losers have all the budgeting skills of a den full of crack addicts. Get rid of 'em all!!

[Clearhead]

To all the star struck people who voted an Austrian action hero into the highest political office in California: You now have what you deserve. A semi illiterate action hero running our state. He is even more incompetent that Davis was at his worst. And his actions of awarding high paying jobs to Sacramento cronies shows that he is now part of the Sacramento machine.

[Carol]

I didn't vote for Arnold, twice. I hope the four previous posters didn't either. But over 50% did vote for him, twice. We are now reaping what they sowed. And if he were allowed to run for president, I bet he'd win, even though he's been a lousy governor.

[George]

What is needed is to get rid of Arnold and retire this idiot to Hollywood. So the third rate actor Arnold wants to raise taxes, increase fees for services and who knows what else he has in mind but he is corrupt enough to had out lucrative jobs to has pals. When are we going to wake up and get rid of Arnold? When he was elected it was the stealing of an election. We need to write to our elected officials and demand that Arnold stop this wholesale give away of high paying jobs to his friends and officials who failed to get re-elected or just termed out.

[Juanita]

Let's don't forget, we will get an IOU instead of our State Income Tax. I didn't vote for him at all, he's lousy in movies and definitely lousy in being anybody's Governor. He really need to go back to his country and make a mess there.

[gary]

these jobs should be posted on job boards and applicants should apply for positions, Open to all applicants with qualifications.
the best qualified person gets the job not the person with the most inside connections.

[Cliff W]

If Arnold were a democrat, the masses would call for his removal. What has he done for California, nothing! He has no power, he is a steroid monkey with the intelligence level of Sarah Palin. Really, what has he done? The media is owned by Republicans and they have have been soft with this idiot. He is an embarrassment to California and has made us the laughing stock of America.

[DEE Mancini]

VERY OBVIOUS, ARNOLD IS A BUSHIE. GET HIM OUT OF THERE FAST!

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

Conan, Commando, and Terminator are his best works.

But the last Republicans in this most crooked of governments ever were like domestic terrorists and some of them are literally convicted criminals.

EPIC FAIL FOR REPUBLICANS 2000-2009

[Art in San Clemente]

To Cliff,

Your kidding, right? You are saying the LA Times and SF Chronicle are conservative rags? OMG!

Even the OC Register isn't republican, they are libertarian, and cant stand either party, though, they'll side with the Republicans more than Dems, because they believe in limited government!

You are right about one point, they've been soft on Arnold, it's just your reasoning that needs work. They've been soft on him, because, for the most part, he's behaved exactly like an Democratic governor. More interested in being liked, and his legacy, than controlling our state's ridiculous spending spree. Since he's been in, the state budget has grown by about 40%! Very impressive, That's a number that even our new President probably won't be able to match, even with the current circumstances. -art