Month: April 2012

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    Another Hybrid Pension Proposal

    Byuclafaculty

    A state legislative committee is looking at a hybrid pension plan for (newly hired) public workers in California but it differs from the hybrid proposed by Gov. Brown.  The Brown plan was a mix of a (reduced) defined-benefit plan and a defined-contribution plan.  The alternative being considered is a mix of a (reduced) defined-benefit plan and a “cash balance” plan. A cash balance plan is similar to defined contribution but it guarantees a fixed rate of return.  That means, the employer and/or employee must adequately fund the plan so it meets the guarantee.  The higher the guaranteed return, the greater…

  • Pepper Coming to an End?

    Byuclafaculty

    From the LA Times: The University of California’s investigative report into the controversial pepper-spraying of student protesters by UC Davis campus police is expected to be released publicly Wednesday — with most officers’ names removed.   After a month long legal battle delaying the release, UC and its police union reached a tentative legal settlement Monday that would allow the public disclosure of most of the report about police tactics and UC Davis administrators’ roles in the November incident. However, the agreement calls for the names and ranks of most of the UC Davis police officers to be stripped from the document……

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    More Bad Hotel PR for UCLA

    Byuclafaculty

    From LA Business Journal: UCLA Expansion Fails to Make Grade With Regents: Board seeks more details on plan for hotel-conference center. Jacquelyn Ryan, April 9, 2012 UCLA’s controversial plan to build a hotel and conference center on its Westwood campus has sustained another setback.  The University of California Board of Regents postponed a decision on the $162 million project at its March 28 meeting after citing concerns about the project’s viability.  The board questioned whether the area would support a new hotel and suggested that the university consider acquiring and repositioning an existing nearby hotel. Specifically, it sought more details…

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    State Pay Ceiling to be Considered in Legislature (but not for UC)

    Byuclafaculty

    A bill – SB1368 – that would impose a ceiling on pay of state employees of about $174,000 (the governor’s salary) is being reviewed at a state senate hearing today. The bill, introduced by a Republican state senator, does not apply to UC but would apply to CSU.  It appears to have been sparked by pay offered to presidents at various CSU campuses. Even though UC is exempted, thanks to its constitutional position, any such enactment would have an indirect effect on UC pay.  The bill in fact “recommends” that UC adhere to the pay ceiling. A news report on…

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    UCLA History: Warren

    Byuclafaculty

    In 1970, former U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice visited the UCLA campus to take part in a ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the Institute of Industrial Relations (IIR).  As governor of California, Warren had signed a law creating the IIR at the Berkeley and UCLA campuses in 1945.  Shown above are U.S Secretary of Labor James Hodgson, Prof. Lloyd Ulman of the UC-Berkeley IIR, Warren, and UCLA IIR director Prof. Benjamin Aaron.  The IIR is now called the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment.  Other photos from the event are shown below.

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    Chancellor at Staff Town Hall on Hotel, Climate Survey, Pensions, Donor-Community Relations

    Byuclafaculty

    Chancellor Block, Vice Chancellor Steve Olson, and Assistant Vice Chancellor for Campus Human Resources Lubbe Levin participated in a staff Town Hall on April 4. The session was videoed but the video works poorly and the commercial service utilized includes ads.  Below is a link to the audio of the session which works much better. There were no exhibits at the session so nothing is lost in the audio-only format. There were specific questions, some in-person/some submitted in advance, on the proposed hotel/conference center, the upcoming (systemwide) campus climate survey, pensions, and donor-community relations.  Links just to those questions are…

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    More Westside Hotels Coming Along

    Byuclafaculty

    We have already reported on a new hotel planned in Santa Monica on Wilshire and 7th Street with 285 rooms. Two more hotels are planned in Santa Monica at 5th Street and Colorado.  One would have 131 rooms and the other would have 138 rooms.  Seems like a lot of potential competition is opening up for staying on the Westside in other than the proposed UCLA hotel/conference center, now in some difficulty regarding justification at the Regents.  See prior blog posts on the hotel issue.  The two new Santa Monica hotel projects are described athttp://www01.smgov.net/cityclerk/council/agendas/2012/20120410/2012%200410%208-B.htmandhttp://www01.smgov.net/cityclerk/council/agendas/2012/20120410/2012%200410%208-A.htmThe earlier Wilshire and 7th hotel…

  • Blog Reader for Last Quarter Available

    Byuclafaculty

    As we do early in each quarter, we make the prior quarter’s blog posts available in pdf format.  Of course, in pdf format, there are no audios and videos.  For those, you have to scroll back in the blog to the entry of interest.  However, the pdf format contains a table of contents that might be useful in finding a particular posting. For the pdf reader, go to: Open publication – Free publishing – More ucla Or go to the link athttp://issuu.com/danieljbmitchell/docs/ucla_faculty_association__1-1-12_-_3-31-12?mode=window&backgroundColor=%23222222