OTHER NEWS - Aug. 9, 1996

Raises in California Remain Below 4%: A survey by the management consulting firm William M. Mercer Inc. reported that big California employers plan average pay raises of 3.8% this year and 3.9% in 1997. Mercer, which has conducted the survey for 14 years, said pay raises fell below 4% in 1994 and have stayed there ever since. Despite improvements in the state economy, high rates of joblessness continue to keep a lid on raises, the firm said.