SACRAMENTO - Before he leaves office next month, Gov. Gray Davis plans to install his closest adviser and another top aide on an obscure state medical board that pays $99,000-a-year for part-time work, according to an administration source.

The appointments are part of a longstanding practice in which governors and legislators from both parties reward campaign contributors or help loyal aides and retired legislators make a cushy transition to the private sector.

But the planned appointments of Davis chief of staff Lynn Schenk and appointments secretary Michael Yamaki have renewed questions about the high salaries some state board members receive. The California Medical Assistance Commission, which the two Davis aides are expected to join, meets just twice a month to oversee Medi-Cal contracts.

``This is a way for them to land softly,'' said Assemblyman Tony Strickland, R-Camarillo, who has sponsored legislation to replace the lucrative salaries with a small daily stipend. ``These have been nothing but political payback for political insiders.''

The appointments of Schenk and Yamaki, which the governor's press office would not confirm Monday, do not need to be approved by the state Senate.

The outgoing governor, who has been known to drag his feet on appointments, has also nominated 102 people to posts that are subject to Senate approval since the Legislature recessed in July.

The Legislature's top Democrat, Senate President Pro Tem John Burton said Friday that the Senate would not return before Davis leaves office to confirm his appointments.

The move came after a verbal agreement to let some of the appointments go forward was brokered with Republican Senate leaders and Gov.-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger, according to a legislative source. The incoming governor will allow the confirmation of 17 Davis appointments to boards that oversee issues such as labor laws and environmental regulations, while withdrawing the names of another 85 nominees.

Senate Democrats, who hold a 25 to 15 majority, could have returned before Davis' departure to rubber-stamp all the last-minute appointments without a single Republican vote. But Democrats were concerned about the public perception of approving appointments by a governor who had just been recalled.

``We could have said we're going to ram this through, but we all recognized even though we can do it, it's not the right thing to do,'' said Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Rosemead. ``It's the cooperative spirit we want to demonstrate to the new governor.''

The list of 17 appointees include several for Regional Water Quality Control Boards; two on the Agricultural Labor Relations Board, which enforces labor laws and pays $114,000 a year; two on the Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board who would be paid $114,000 a year; and one unpaid position on the Hastings College of the Law board of directors.

Schwarzenegger prefers ``that the governor not make any additional appointments between now and the time he takes office,'' said spokesman H.D. Palmer. ``But he's still the governor and has the right.''

Davis has defended his appointments, pointing out that Republican Gov. Pete Wilson made 454 appointments between the time Davis was elected and Wilson left office. Davis withdrew the names of 134 Wilson appointments soon after taking office.

There are some 60 state boards and commissions that pay a total of $360 million in salaries, ranging from $25,000 to $117,396, according to Strickland. Some board positions, such as the chair of the Fair Political Practices Commission are full-time jobs. Others, such as the California Medical Assistance Commission are part-time, meeting only twice a month.