Author: admin

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    The Morning After (the Guv’s Pension Plan): What Do We Know?

    Byadmin

    It’s the morning after the governor’s press conference announcing his pension proposals – and we still do not have definite word as to whether UC is covered. The LA Times version says all state and local employees are covered. Excerpt: Who would be affected? All state and local public employees. Current workers would be expected to pay at least half of their retirement costs, but the higher retirement age and new savings plan would apply only to employees hired later. See http://www.latimes.com/news/local/politics/la-me-pension-qa-20111028,0,4930171.story And there is a lot of fuzziness in the announced plan. For example, how do you “cap” a…

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    The Guv on Pensions: What did he say?

    Byadmin

    Governor Brown has now held his press conference on public pensions. His proposals clearly covered CalPERS and CalSTRS. Coverage of UC was not mentioned. But the governor did make an off-hand reference to UC’s long pension holiday, i.e., the two-decade period of zero contributions. The governor released a 12-point plan but one element, a kind of total cap on pension amounts, was not mentioned on the list of the twelve. [A cap is mentioned but not linked to defined contributions.] Yet, in response to a reporter’s question, he said a cap was intended but that it was complicated because of…

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    Out of the box on higher ed: Uh Oh

    Byadmin

    From the Sacramento Bee today (excerpt): Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom railed against tuition increases and said Wednesday that the state’s master plan for higher education is outdated, promising “a different narrative” for higher education by the end of the year. It was unclear what the plan might contain or how Newsom, a Democrat, might propose to fund it. “We’re going to come up with some out- of-the-box recommendations, is our hope and expectation,” he told The Bee’s Capitol Bureau. Fifty years after the production of the California Master Plan for Higher Education, Newsom said he and officials are preparing to…

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    UC or not UC? – That is the question (to be answered in a few hours)

    Byadmin

    Bits and pieces of Governor Brown’s public pension plan are leaking out ahead of his news conference later today. UC or not UC, that is the question, as Hamlet might say. But the leaked reports don’t provide the answer so we will have to wait a few hours more. The Capitol Alert report from last night and another from KCAL indicate that the reason Brown wants a ballot prop is to change the CalPERS board. Excerpt from Capitol Alert: Gov. Jerry Brown will propose a higher retirement age and a less generous pension system for newly-hired state workers, sources familiar…

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    Do You Have an Opinion on APM 0668 – Negotiated Salary Program?

    Byadmin

    To: UCLA Senate Faculty From: the UCLA Faculty Association Date: Oct. 26, 2011 Subject: UCLA FA Bulletin on APM 0668 – the proposed Negotiated Salary Program In times like these—budget cuts to higher education statewide and to UC year after year—it is good to know about the Faculty Association (FA) at UCLA, an independent organization of faculty on this campus since 1973. Its focus is singular: the general welfare of UCLA Senate faculty on the general campus and health sciences. Because it is state funded, the Academic Senate cannot use its resources to speak out on political issues. It is…

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    Stand By

    Byadmin

    As prior posts on this blog have noted, Gov. Brown has a public pension plan proposal – but no one quite knows what it is and whether, more specifically, it will cover UC (and possibly override the Regents’ pension revision of December 2010). Excerpt from Capitol Alert late yesterday: Gov. Jerry Brown will give lawmakers his plan for pension changes on Thursday, the governor said in a letter to legislators this afternoon, though it remains unclear what Brown will propose. “Given the paramount importance of pensions to both taxpayers and public employees, it is absolutely critical that we carefully examine…

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    OMG

    Byadmin

    Drivers should expect delays along Sepulveda Boulevard in Westwood starting today and continuing for three months… As part of a $1 billion project to widen the San Diego (405) Freeway through the Sepulveda Pass, Chevron needs to move a gas line that runs underneath Sepulveda Boulevard. The move requires workers to drill underground, beginning near Sepulveda and Montana Avenue. The drilling exit point will be the intersection of Sepulveda and Moraga Drive. The work requires the closure of one southbound lane of Sepulveda adjacent to the drill’s entry and exit points, said Dave Sotero of Metro. Most of Sepulveda between…

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    Student Aid Alliance

    Byadmin

    From Inside Higher Ed today (excerpt below) comes a note about the Student Aid Alliance, a higher education group of which both UC and CSU are members. Alliance Pushes to Save Pell From ‘Super Committee’ October 25, 2011 The Student Aid Alliance, a group of 74 higher education associations, advocacy groups and other organizations, announced a lobbying campaign Monday to fight possible cuts to federal financial aid as the Congressional committee on deficit reduction enters the final month before its Nov. 24 deadline… There are various links in the article including a petition that you may find of interest. Full…

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    UC Admissions in Newspeak?

    Byadmin

    UC’s new admissions rules confuse applicants: The SAT subject exams are no longer required. If students take them anyway, good scores can help but poor scores won’t hurt, administrators say. (except) Larry Gordon, LA Times, 10/24/11 …(T)he new rules have caused widespread confusion and anxiety among students about whether to take the supplemental tests known as SAT subject exams. {Note from yours truly: These tests are the subject exams, not the regular SAT which remains required.} To boost their chances of UC admission, thousands of high school seniors are taking the subject exams even though the university has dropped them…