How in the hell was THAT managed in CA?
It was not and it won't be.
You seem to have bought into the political scam.
In politics, much more so in California, the Newspeak definition of "docked" is not what your mean-spirited dictionary says it is.
They will merely not receive their paycheck as usual. When the taxpayer outrage dies down and the dust settles, all the elected criminals will get their accumulated "docked" pay.
In other words, it is not permanent. They always get paid whether they do their job or not.