Year: 2011

politics | State Budget | UC budget crisis

They’re Not Thinking About Our Problems
Byuclafaculty June 2, 2011

The May Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) poll is out today and you will be reading stories in the press about the detailed views of the public on various state issues including the state budget and state governance problems. Obviously, the budget and governance are very important to UC. But hidden in the poll is an important message. Take a look at the table below. What is obvious is that the public, including voters, are not losing sleep over the issues that pollsters ask about except one: “jobs/economy.” Yes, if pressed, respondents will answer questions about other issues. But…

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miscellaneous | UCLA

UCLA History: Extension in Early 1931
Byuclafaculty June 1, 2011

UC Extension operated out of a building at the corner of 8th Street and Hill Street in downtown LA in 1931. Prof. Toby Higbie indicated in a comment on my last Extension catalog posting that UCLA did not directly run the Extension program; rather it was administered from Berkeley. However, the UCLA provost served on the board that administered the LA operation. (The photo above is of 4th and Hill in the late 1920s; I can’t find an old one of 8th and Hill.) Some of the course offerings appear to be by UCLA faculty members. Extension apparently had various…

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miscellaneous | UCLA

UCLA History: 1967 Computer
Byuclafaculty June 1, 2011

SDS Sigma 7 computer at UCLA in 1967 later used for ARPANET (early Internet)

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faculty center | UCLA

UCLA Faculty Center Election: Deadline for Voting Near
Byuclafaculty May 31, 2011

Normally, elections for office at the UCLA Faculty Center are quiet affairs. However, because of the controversy surrounding the plan to demolish the Center and replace it with a large hotel/conference center, this year is different. If you are a member of the Center, you should have received your ballot by postal mail – if your address is off-campus – or by campus mail. I have an off-campus address and my ballot came at least a week ago. I am told some members have not yet received ballots. The deadline for voting is mid-June. Sorry, I don’t have the exact…

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pension | pensions

Coming Soon to a Polling Station Near You?
Byuclafaculty May 31, 2011

As noted in a prior post, one proposed pension initiative that could have overridden the Regents’ December changes in the UC plan has been abandoned and no signature-gathering campaign will be conducted. But there are others possibly on the way, as calpensions.com reports (excerpt): …Dan Pellissier, president of California Pension Reform, is working on an initiative that would cap normal employer contributions at 6 percent of pay and give new hires a 401(k) plan. The employer would be responsible for any previous “unfunded liability,” allowing employer contributions to exceed 6 percent until the debt is paid off. Employees could negotiate…

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miscellaneous | UCLA

UCLA History: Naval ROTC During the World War II Era
Byuclafaculty May 30, 2011

UCLA Naval ROTC cadets in 1943 at a dance (right) and in 1941 (below).

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transportation | UCLA

Bus Service from Westwood to LAX May Fly Away
Byuclafaculty May 30, 2011

From the LA Times: The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners has recommended discontinuation of the $5-per-trip Westwood FlyAway bus service to Los Angeles International Airport because it is operating at a loss, but UCLA and its students are trying to negotiate a way to save it. “The FlyAway bus provides an absolutely critical service to UCLA students,” student body President Emily Resnick said in a statement. “Without this service, thousands of students will no longer be able to go home for holidays or other important events.” … Renée Fortier, director of UCLA transportation, said Friday that the campus had…

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transportation | UCLA

Coming in Mid-July: I-405 Shutdown
Byuclafaculty May 29, 2011

LAObserved has a nice rundown on the I-405 traffic disaster that is likely to occur July 16-17 around UCLA when the freeway is entirely shut down for reconstruction: http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2011/05/details_of_the_405s_weeke.php That is a weekend. But folks who work at odd times in their UCLA offices should stay home and watch videos:

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State Budget

Where Things Stand on the State Budget
Byuclafaculty May 29, 2011

A nice summary of where things stand on the state budget appears today in the Sacramento Bee at http://www.sacbee.com/2011/05/29/3662193/browns-countdown-day-140-capitol.html although the picture may say it better.

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miscellaneous | UCLA

UCLA History: Daily Bruin on Internment of Japanese-American Students in 1942
Byuclafaculty May 29, 2011

The UCLA Daily Bruin announced the internment of Japanese-American students in 1942. See yesterday’s post on this blog concerning UCLA’s retroactive awarding of honorary degrees to these students in 2010.

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