Briefs

Consumers’ spending figures drop for
April

Consumers anxious about their jobs were reluctant to go shopping
in April, trimming spending by the largest amount since the
beginning of the year.

The Commerce Department reported Friday that spending declined
by 0.1 percent from March, matching a drop registered in January.
April’s pullback comes after consumers splurged in March,
boosting spending by 0.8 percent.

“˜”˜Consumers are skittish about the jobs outlook and
less likely to ring those cash registers,” said
Richard Yamarone, economist with Argus Research Corp.

Consumers are the main force keeping the economy going, but
economists are worried that the lackluster job market may make them
more cautious. That could cause the economy to struggle even more
to get back on firm footing.

Higher earnings for state workers

The number of state employees who earn more than $100,000 a year
is five times higher than it was in 1995, according to a
newspaper’s analysis.

Most of the state’s highest-paid employees are judges,
prison doctors and state psychiatrists who make between $130,000
and $200,000 a year, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Sunday
after reviewing payroll records. Many add to their salaries tens of
thousands of dollars in overtime and bonus pay.

The state defended the salaries as competitive with the private
sector, but others see the public payroll as out of control,
especially with the state facing a $38.2 billion deficit.

As California faces its worst budget deficit in history, Gov.
Gray Davis is threatening layoffs if the state’s payroll is
not cut.

Reports from Daily Bruin wire services.