Author: uclafaculty

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More Background on Anti-Asian Video Posted by UCLA Student

Byuclafaculty

The Sacramento Bee reports that the video described in an earlier post was to be part of a larger enterprise: The UCLA student whose anti-Asian video rant garnered millions of views online and intense backlash throughout the world is from Fair Oaks and appears to have had aspirations of creating similar videos as part of a blog. Shortly after the earthquake and tsunami devastated Japan on Friday, Alexandra Wallace, 20, posted a three-minute video on YouTube in which she mocked Asian languages and expressed her annoyance with Asian students talking loudly in the library on their cell phones, including those…

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48% of Voters Think Public Pensions Are About Right or Not Generous Enough

Byuclafaculty

Just a straw in the wind from the latest California Field Poll. Note that the headline on the poll press release (see URL below) is “MORE CALIFORNIA VOTERS NOW VIEW PUBLIC PENSION BENEFITS AS TOO GENEROUS.” What the headline refers to is the change since October 2009 in the response to the “Too Generous” option. Yours truly is more impressed with the fact – reflected in the headline on this blog post – that after the Bell City scandal and all of the agitation about public pensions – voter opinion still tilts toward “About Right” and “Not Generous Enough.” It…

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Please Don’t Mention Their Pension

Byuclafaculty

Pension reform is lucrative for former Capitol insiders (excerpts) Capitol Weekly, 3/17/11, Malcolm Maclachlan The consulting company hired by Republican lawmakers known as the “GOP 5” to do research on reforming public employee pensions signed a similar but much larger contract with a conservative pension reform group last month. The company, Capitol Matrix Consulting, is headed by Mike Genest, who served as finance director for former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Matrix’s other two principals, Brad Williams and Pete Schaafsma, also are well-known in the Capitol as top-level financial analysts. All three men, incidentally, have state pensions worth more than $100,000 a…

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Audio of Regents Meeting on Budget, 3-16-11, For Your Listening Pleasure

Byuclafaculty

The Regents meeting this morning dealt with budgetary issues. There were reports by three chancellors (from Santa Cruz, Irvine, and Berkeley) on the impact of the budget squeeze on their campuses. The Regents had various reactions to the situation. Plans were offered by Peter Taylor to generate more cash through portfolio management. He argued that even though somewhat more risk was entailed, the proposals were sufficiently conservative to insulate UC from a crisis. There was discussion of a new plan under which UCOP would pass state funding down to the campus level so that campuses would operate more autonomously. The…

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Field Poll suggests voter support for tax extensions

Byuclafaculty

The California Field Poll suggests voter support for the governor’s proposed tax extensions. The table above summarizes the results when the question is asked generally. When it is asked more explicitly (see below, naming the taxes), there is somewhat less support (58%) but still a majority. “The governor is proposing to extend for five more years the one-cent increase in the state sales tax, the ½ percent increase in vehicle license fees and the ¼ percent increase in personal income taxes that the state enacted in 2009. Some of the money would be transferred to local governments for schools, public…

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CalPERS sticks to assumed rate of return above UC’s

Byuclafaculty

A prior post noted that CalPERS might lower its assumed rate of return on investment to 7.5%, the same as UCRP. What CalPERS might have done would have had no direct effect on UC, but it would have deprived us of being the more conservative. Now that won’t happen, according to the press release below:CalPERS Discount Rate Unchanged Press Release March 15, 2011 External Affairs BranchPatricia K. Macht, DirectorBrad Pacheco, Chief, Office of Public AffairsContact: Edward Fong, Information Officer CalPERS Discount Rate Unchanged Assumed Investment Return Rate to Stay at 7.75 Percent SACRAMENTO, CA – A key committee of the…

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Background on Anti-Asian Video Posted by UCLA Student

Byuclafaculty

Most blog readers will be aware of this incident from the chancellor’s recent email. Here are some excerpts from the Daily Bruin: UCLA student’s YouTube video ‘Asians in the Library’ prompts death threats; violent responses criticized as equally damaging Kate Parkinson-MorganMarch 14, 2011, Daily Bruin, online version A UCLA student has received multiple death threats in response to her video “Asians in the Library,” which was posted Friday. In the video, third-year political science student Alexandra Wallace makes a number of disparaging comments about Asian students… The video quickly went viral and, despite being removed by Wallace on Sunday, has…

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Report: All UC Students in Japan Have Been Found

Byuclafaculty

All UC students studying in Japan are found safe Sacramento Bee, Mar. 15, 2011, Laurel Rosenhall University of California officials have located all 80 UC students studying abroad in Japan and confirmed they are safe… UC also has 32 researchers and other employees working in Japan, and has been in touch with most of them… Full story at http://www.sacbee.com/2011/03/15/3475810/all-uc-students-studying-in-japan.html

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Pension train may roll through UC’s pension changes. Does anyone at UCOP even know where that train is?

Byuclafaculty

As noted in earlier posts, the pension train is rolling in Sacramento and could easily override the changes in UCRP made by the Regents last December. Is anyone from UCOP articulating a UC position? The kind of caps being discussed are too low for UC faculty. See below for the latest: Pension focus shifts: hybrid, caps and the big one (excerpt) Ed Mendel, calpensions.com As Gov. Brown seeks crucial budget votes, one reform proposed by five Republican senators would switch new hires to “hybrid” pensions, a cost-cutting combination of lower pensions and 401(k)-style individual investment plans. The governor, who also…

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Consultant’s Report on the UCLA Hotel/Conference Center Now on the Web: More Questions Need to Be Answered

Byuclafaculty

Prof. Dora Costa of the UCLA Economics Dept. sent the message below to faculty who signed the petition expressing concern about the proposed hotel/conference center. It is reproduced below. She notes that a redacted version of the report by the consultant hired by those who propose the project is now available at the Senate website and she expresses various concerns. You can find that report at http://www.senate.ucla.edu/documents/UCLACONFCENTERSTUDYDRAFT-RedactedbyPKF03102011.pdfYours truly would add the following three points to those made by Prof. Costa. 1) Because the report has just become available as a public document, you can be sure that neighboring commercial hotels…