Author: uclafaculty

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Audio of Regents Meeting of 12-13-10: UCOF Approval & Post-Employment Benefits Plan Approval

Byuclafaculty

Below are links to the audio of the Regents meeting of 12-13-10. There are 13 segments. (A couple of minutes of noise at the beginning of Part 1 have been omitted during which there were problems in linking two locations. The meeting officially began once the link was established.) At this meeting, the Regents approved the UCOF (University Committee on the Future) report as well as the Yudof plan for post-employment benefits (pension & retiree health care). The Regents meeting took place with a video link to UCLA where some Regents attended. As the previous post on this blog noted,…

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UC Pension Solutions and the External Threats to Them

Byuclafaculty

In prior posts, I have noted that while the Regents can modify the UC pension plan in response to its underfunding problem, their actions could be overridden by external forces such as a ballot initiative covering all public pensions in California. Now comes word of another external threat, Congressional legislation that would effectively force public pensions to use a risk-free interest rate assumption in calculating their unfunded liabilities. The proposed legislation apparently would not technically force public pension authorities to do so but it would deny tax-favored status to their municipal bonds if they did not. I was alerted to…

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Don’t Take Away My Bike (at Berkeley)

Byuclafaculty

UC Berkeley crackdown has bicyclists fuming Nanette Asimov, San Francisco Chronicle, Dec. 13, 2010 UC Berkeley freshman Devin Shoop got a $220 ticket in September. His crime: locking his bicycle to a railing instead of a bike rack… As he tells it, Shoop locked his old mountain bike to a rail outside Cal’s Recreational Sports Facility on Bancroft Way on Sept. 17, as was his habit when the bike rack was full. He made sure his bike wasn’t blocking the path, then ducked into the gym for a few hours. He came out to find a boot on his bike…

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What Happens If the New “Residential Conference Center” (aka “hotel”) turns out to be a white elephant?

Byuclafaculty

There have been a couple of earlier posts on this blog about the fate of the UCLA Faculty Center. The most recent is at http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2010/11/presentation-available-on-replacement.html In the background is the fact that the Faculty Club has been losing money and requires costly capital maintenance. [If you have trouble when you click on the URL above, just go back to Nov. 29, 2010 on this blog for the entry.] At this point, it appears that the decision to demolish the existing building and replace it with what is called a “residential conference center” seems to be a fait accompli. Those who…

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Update on the Bad Deal for the State Involving a Regent

Byuclafaculty

In a previous post, I noted that the state – as part of its efforts to raise cash – wants to sell various state office buildings and then lease them back. A Regent, Hadi Makarechian – as part of a consortium of various investment groups – is one of the buyers. The prior post is at Bad Deal for State Involves a UC Regent [Note: If you have trouble using the link above directly, simply go back to the December 3, 2010 entries for this blog.] Since the prior post went into the reasons why the deal – which is…

UCLA Told to Get Out of the Stream

Byuclafaculty

Background: Some instructors use videos in classes for various purposes. Of course, this practice has gone on since video tapes were around. Indeed, yours truly – who was at UCLA when mammoth elephants were still walking around campus – used 16 mm films back in the day. (Anyone remember film strips?) However, in some classes, streamed videos are used. Basically, enrolled students go to the course website, click on the video required, and see the video (motion, sound, etc.). In effect, it is the same as going to YouTube or similar websites. You don’t download the file from YouTube typically;…

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Jerry Brown’s Second Budget Forum to be at UCLA This ComingTuesday

Byuclafaculty

Jerry Brown budget forum in Los Angeles set for Tuesday Capitol Alert, 12/9/10, David Siders Gov.-elect Jerry Brown released details this afternoon of his budget forum in Los Angeles next Tuesday. The meeting with education leaders follows a summit with lawmakers and local officials in Sacramento yesterday. Brown’s office described the event in an advisory as a meeting to “discuss the state’s fiscal challenges in K-12 and higher education.” It will be at UCLA. Like yesterday’s forum in Sacramento, the event is invitation-only. Brown’s transition office plans to stream the meeting online. “It’s really a continuation of the discussion that…

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Zev Says No Pain/No Gain on I-405 Wilshire Construction

Byuclafaculty

For those who bemoan the traffic problem created by the reconstruction of the Sunset Blvd. bridge over the 405, here is some news from LA County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky about what is going to happen to Wilshire: Given the dismal state of Westside traffic, it’s been a long time since anybody was able to fly through the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and the 405. But someday people will be able to fly over it. Two new flyover ramps are part of an ambitious new phase of the 405 Sepulveda Pass improvements project that’s currently projected to begin as early as…