Author: admin

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    Clock is ticking away on chance to get UC out of anti-pension initiative

    Byadmin

    Previous posts on t his blog have noted the filing of an anti-pension initiative, fronted by some mayors, that would include UC along with other state and local plans.  We have noted that it would be best if UC were omitted from the initiative on the rationale that the Regents have implemented their own plan for modifying their retiree programs (back in 2010). We have also noted that once an initiative gets on the ballot, it cannot be amended.  However, groups filing pension initiatives sometimes file amended versions.  The group behind the initiative has now filed a second version, illustrating…

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    UCLA’s Lawsuit to Retain Baseball Stadium at VA Property Criticized by LA Times

    Byadmin

    Westwood’s Veterans Home, back in the day Blog readers will know that various tenants of the VA property in Westwood are facing litigation and potential eviction on the grounds that the property is not being used for its intended purpose.  UCLA’s baseball team uses the internal stadium: From yesterday’s LA Times‘ editorial page: [excerpt]: …Instead of appealing the decision, UCLA could play a helpful role by urging the VA to sit down with the plaintiffs to work out an agreement that meets the needs of the interested parties but also ensures that the federal government fulfills its responsibility. If baseball…

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    Obituary: Supporter of Holocaust studies chair at UCLA

    Byadmin

    From the LA Times: Samuel Goetz was 14 when the Nazis rounded up Jews in his hometown of Tarnow, Poland, and killed thousands of them — his parents included — in the gas chambers at Belzec in southeast Poland… An early advocate of Holocaust education in the United States, Goetz became a prime force behind the creation of a Holocaust studies chair at UCLA, the first at a public university in the United States. An optometrist for 50 years, Goetz, 85, died of pancreatic cancer Oct. 24 at his Los Angeles home, said his wife, Gertrude… During the ’70s, the…

  • One Day UC Strike Slated for Nov. 20

    Byadmin

    From the Daily Bruin: University of California union workers announced Friday that they will hold a one-day strike on Nov. 20 at UC campuses and medical centers against what they call unfair labor practices. Members from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees 3299 union, which represents more than 22,000 service and patient care workers at the UC, voted earlier this month to authorize the strike. A representative from the UC could not be reached for comment… Full story at http://dailybruin.com/2013/11/08/uc-union-workers-to-hold-strike-on-nov-20/

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    TA Union Pushes for Lower TA-to-Student Ratio

    Byadmin

    The labor union representing TAs at UC has gotten some attention in the San Francisco Chronicle to its demands for lowering the TA-to-student ratio.  Excerpt: …The students are asking UC to create a Committee on Class Size at each campus so that problems can be addressed on a continual basis, said Josh Brahinsky, a graduate student in history at UC Santa Cruz who serves on the bargaining team… But UC says class size is not an appropriate topic to discuss with the union.”Issues related to class sizes and quality are academic issues, not bargaining issues,” said Shelly Meron, a spokeswoman for UC… Full…

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    State Cash

    Byadmin

    The latest cash statement from the state controller is out and covers the fiscal year through October.  It shows revenues to the state running about $600 million ahead of the forecast incorporated into the state budget last June.  Blog readers will recall that Gov. Brown insisted on what might be described as “conservative” estimates of revenue – over the objection of legislative Democrats – as a kind of hedge against possible bad news on the economy.  If the estimates prove to be below the actual receipts, there will simply be that much more cash in the general fund than otherwise….

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    Response Would Be a Slender Reed (Pun Intended), But Why Not?

    Byadmin

    Prior posts on this blog have noted that there is an anti-pension initiative that has been filed by a group whose front man is San Jose mayor Chuck Reed.  The proposition, if it got on the ballot, would cover UC.  It would require plans do be drawn up, presumably by the Regents, to deal with retirement underfunding.  The plans would be different than what the Regents developed on their own in 2010.  In theory, the Regents could draw up the plans and ignore them.  That would create political problems for the Regents and UC, however. Bottom line: We would be…

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    Grand Design

    Byadmin

    Two proposed Santa Monica hotels From time to time, we try to give you a sense of the scale of the UCLA Grand Hotel project.  A developer is proposing two hotels in downtown Santa Monica.  Combined, they are roughly the size of the Grand Hotel.  So imagining them squeezed together will give you a sense of the size of the project.   You can also get a sense by looking at the current construction site in terms of area covered.  But don’t worry about the cost:

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    Arts ReSTORE LA in Westwood

    Byadmin

    As we noted some time back, the UCLA Hammer museum got a grant to put arts projects in various empty Westwood stores in a temporary exhibit, which is now running until Nov. 24.  See http://artsrestore.la/.  LA Magazine has an article and some photos about the exhibit at http://www.lamag.com/laculture/culturefilesblog/2013/11/05/repopulating-the-empty-storefronts-of-westwood-village-with-art-and-artisans.  [Yours truly went by on Nov. 1 when the exhibit officially opened and not everything seemed to be ready, but maybe that has changed.]