Author: admin

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    The Other Shoe to Drop (on Wilshire and the 405)

    Byadmin

    If you thought your commuter problems to UCLA would be over once the President left town this morning, consider the following from LA County Supervisor Yaroslavsky: …Long-running closures of the 405 Freeway’s Wilshire Boulevard ramps are set to begin on Friday, June 22, bringing fresh challenges to an intersection that’s already among the nation’s worst.  Anxious residents and employees in the area have been girding for the start of the ramp work for months. Some online wags have dubbed it The Rampture, while others who live nearby refer to it ominously as “the next shoe to drop.” Whatever you call it, the work…

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    November Tax Could Go Up in Smoke in June

    Byadmin

    You probably know that Governor Brown has now filed his tax initiative for the November ballot.  He will be unveiling his May Revise 2012-13 budget proposal this coming Monday and it is likely to be unpleasant since state tax revenues are coming in below forecast levels for this year.  Exactly how UC will fare in the new proposal is unknown but it was the target of trigger cuts in the January version; the trigger would be pulled if voters do not pass the governor’s tax initiative.  (Ultimately, of course, the budget and any triggers must be enacted by the legislature;…

  • A Prayer for Dysfunction? In the Legislature?

    Byadmin

    From http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2012/05/am-alert-seaworld-critters-turn-california-capitol-into-animal-house.html PRAYER BREAKFAST: Senate Republican leader Bob Huff, R-Diamond Bar, Sen. Ted Gaines, R-Rocklin, and Assemblywoman Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, are co-chairing the 51st annual California Prayer Breakfast at the Sacramento Sheraton Grand. The keynote speaker is Patrick Lencioni, author of “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.” The program begins at 7 a.m.Not clear on the concept.  Is there a need to pray for dysfunction in the legislature?  The May Revise budget is due on Monday.  That should provide plenty of opportunity for dysfunction.Meanwhile:[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTqoTZ3lPsA&w=320&h=195] Read more here: http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2012/05/am-alert-seaworld-critters-turn-california-capitol-into-animal-house.html#storylink=cpy

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    Trending Down

    Byadmin

    PPIC has issued a report noting that California enrollments have been dropping at UC and CSU as the state has cut funding and tuition has risen.  The chart above is from that report.  UC and CSU actually have been admitting a higher percentage of high school grads but those admitted increasingly go elsewhere.  Excerpt: California’s financial commitment to higher education has been compromised by fiscal crises and competing state priorities. Despite large increases in the demand for higher education, state general fund spending in this area has declined notably over the past ten years. California now spends more on corrections…

  • The Farmer in the Gill

    Byadmin

    Our coverage of this drama continues with this excerpt from the San Francisco Chronicle: A standoff between UC Berkeley and Occupy activists who planted renegade crops on university land is headed from the farm to the courts.  The University of California Board of Regents filed a lawsuit Wednesday against 14 protesters, claiming they and others conspired to cut through chains that secured gates and trespass onto the Gill Tract, a patch of land along bustling San Pablo Avenue in Albany… Full story at: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/05/09/BABF1OFNUS.DTL You never know what might happen on a farm:[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdRcNzPQUYY]

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    How the Post-Secondary Pie Divides

    Byadmin

    The Legislative Analyst produced the interesting pie charts above showing where students are and where degrees are produced after high school.  Note that some students in the community colleges (CCCs) may transfer to UC or CSU.  The Leg Analyst also provides the following counts of the various types of schools: University of California: Ten campuses, 234,000 students, Baccalaureates, masters, doctorates/professional California State University: 23 campuses, 424,000 students, Baccalaureates, masters, several applied doctorates California Community Colleges: 112 campuses, 1.5 million students, Associates degrees, certificates Nonprofit/Independent Colleges and Universities: 73 institutions, 263,000 students, Associates, baccalaureates, masters, doctorates  For-Profit/Private Institutions: Roughly 1,500 institutions,…

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    Obama Traffic Late Thursday and Friday Morning

    Byadmin

    Westside traffic around UCLA could be snarled late Thursday and Friday morning due to a visit by President Obama.  He is arriving at LAX Thursday evening at 6:20 PM and going to the house of George Clooney in Studio City.  Friday morning he goes the other way, leaving Studio City and departing LAX around 10 AM. Source: http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2012/05/obamajam_moves_to_unchart.php These periodic traffic jams leave a bad taste in LA, but apparently not for everyone:

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    Distribution of $1 Billion in UCLA Research Funding

    Byadmin

    UCLA’s Annual Report on Research funding for the past academic year reports a total of $1.079 billion.  The pie charts below show the distribution: Note: HSSEAS = Engineering; SOAA = Architecture; SPA = Public Affairs; GSE&IS = Education and Information Services; TFT = Theater, Film, TV. The full report is at: https://vcr.ucla.edu/annual-reports/2012-annual-report/pdf-files/ovcr-2012-annual-report-complete Possibly because of the ongoing litigation regarding a fatal lab accident, there is a significant report on safety issues: https://vcr.ucla.edu/annual-reports/2012-annual-report/pdf-files/appendix-materials/appendix-4

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    Regents to Discuss (Not Enact) Possible Future Tuition Increases at May 16 Meeting

    Byadmin

    Excerpts from the Fresno Bee: University of California students could face significantly higher tuition if the state doesn’t increase funding and voters reject the governor’s tax initiative, school administrators said Tuesday.  Under one scenario, the 10-campus system would raise tuition by 6 percent this fall if the state doesn’t increase funding by $125 million for 2012-13, according to a document posted online ahead of next week’s UC Board of Regents meeting.  The university would need to consider a mid-year tuition increase in the “range of double digits” – or make drastic cuts to campus programs and staffing – if voters…

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    Disappointing State Revenues

    Byadmin

    The state controller’s cash report for the fiscal year through April is now out.  Despite the blip in tax receipts in April due to the seasonal impact of the  income tax, revenues are down by over $3 billion compared to what the governor had forecast in January.  Compared to what the budget enacted last June for 2011-12 had projected, we are down over $5 billion. How all of this will play out with regard to the governor’s tax initiative in November is unclear.  The kind of cash problems that led to IOUs in 2009 are unlikely to repeat.  Thanks to…