Exempt Salaries

The State of California has several salary-setting mechanisms which establish the salaries of elected and appointed officials. These officials are exempt from State Civil Service and are often referred to as "exempt" officials.

The Exempt Salary Schedule (596 KB PDF) provides further details.

Elected Officials

The California Citizens Compensation Commission meets annually to review and establish salaries and benefits for elected officials, including members of the Legislature.

Appointed State Officials

The salaries of most top-level State officers appointed by the Governor are set in Chapter 6, Part 1, Division 3, of Title 2 of the Government Code. Each section in this Chapter lists a salary and the positions that are to receive that salary. Any appointee to a position listed must also be confirmed by the State Senate.

Chapter 6 also includes a provision that the salaries listed will increase in any fiscal year in which the State provides a general salary increase for employees. "The amount of the increase shall be comparable to, but shall not exceed, the percentage of the general salary increases provided for State employees."

DPA reports the amount of the increase to the State Controller, who handles payroll. The State Controller implements the increase.

Other Exempt Officials

California's State Constitution provides that "members of boards and commissions, appointees of the Governor, and one appointee of each Governor's appointee shall be exempt from civil service."

Any such exempt position whose salary is not set by statute (that is, it's not covered by the Appointed State Official category described above) falls under DPA's salary-setting authority. For these employees, DPA establishes the salary range for each position and determines any annual increase. Most of these are managerial positions and normally receive the same increase provided civil service managerial employees.

Some clerical and administrative positions also fall in this category. Typically these positions receive the same increase provided to civil service employees designated as confidential.

Updated March 25, 2008 at 1:38 PM.