High raise.

An independent commission approved 18 percent raises for California's top officials, including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Attorney General Bill Lockyer and other officeholders. (Schwarzenegger will continue to decline his salary.) While this is the first pay hike for those positions in six years, 18 percent is 18 percent. So the Business Journal asks:

How does an 18 percent pay raise look from your perspective?

Kevin J. Rochford

Chairman and Chief Executive Northern Trust Bank of California 

As a general rule, I absolutely believe that people in public office should always have appropriate financial compensation. Otherwise, we won't be able to keep any good people in office. I don't know whether or not 18 percent is appropriate in this case, but in a very competitive market you have to do whatever you can to keep qualified people around.

Louis K. Sohn

Vice President of Acquisitions Griffin Capital

Honestly, I agree with the raise. Public officials have to make a tremendous sacrifice. They shouldn't have to choose between supporting their family with higher earnings in the private sector and serving the state. My understanding is that some of them haven't gotten raises since 2000, so the large increase now is probably a result of compounded inflation. Eighteen percent is obviously a big number and it can be a big shock at first, but when you dig into, I think it's perfectly fair. I have also received 18 percent raises.

Adele H. Berwanger

Managing Director Canterbury Consulting

I don't have all of the relevant facts as to the officeholders' current levels of compensation. But at face value it seems like an 18 percent increase is a lot in any one year, and particularly at this time. In companies that I've worked with, raises of that magnitude have generally come on the basis of merit or promotion as opposed to across-the-board increases.

Carrie Hebens

Branch Manager Robert Half International Inc.

Although on first pass an 18 percent raise does seem a bit higher than the average worker usually receives, given that this is the first raise some of these officials have gotten since 2000, 18 percent might not be inappropriate. You have to look at the whole picture to really weigh how inappropriate or appropriate something is. I have gotten bonuses in the 18 percent range that have compensated me based on performance. Not regularly, of course, but it has happened.

Don St. Clair

Vice President of Enrollment Management and University Marketing Woodbury University 

I am not generally opposed to people in public service being well paid. They are very important to the success of the state-and their jobs are harder than the general public recognizes. But having said that, the magnitude of this raise is questionable, especially since California has had so much budgetary difficulty recently. It is OK for these folks to get a raise, but an 18 percent raise seems like a lot and it will seem like a lot to many people. I understand that California is a very expensive place to live and work and that these people need to be paid well in order to serve the state. I have no problem with them being paid well, but the public perception of a raise of such magnitude is what bothers me.