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State Budget | UC budget crisis

So far, money from we-know-not-where has not appeared in state budget
Byadmin October 19, 2011

As readers of this blog will know, UC’s budget is still threatened by a possible pulling of a budget “trigger” if forecast revenues do not arrive as anticipated. What the legislature did when it enacted this fiscal year’s budget was to assume incremental revenue – but not raise taxes (or prevent the end of temporary taxes) to generate that additional revenue. Having made the assumption, it could then pass the budget by simple majority vote, i.e., without the 2/3 vote that a tax increase or extension would have required which would have entailed Republican votes. All budgets are based on…

Read More So far, money from we-know-not-where has not appeared in state budget
faculty center | UCLA

Groundhog Hotel?
Byadmin October 19, 2011

Are we about to repeat – and repeat? Supposedly, we are going to be receiving (soon?) a revised (?) plan for the hotel/conference center. Yet on the UCLA Newsroom website – screenshot taken today – we find an entry about the hotel/conference center which includes: Q: What is the UCLA residential conference center project? A: UCLA is planning a 295,000-square-foot residential conference center featuring 33,000 square feet of meeting and conference space, a 9,000-square-foot conference hall, a 250-seat dining room and at least 282 guest rooms. The plan also includes a new 22,500-square-foot faculty club with a separate entrance and…

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CalSTRS | pension | pensions | UC Regents | uc retirement

Follow Up: GASB proposals could stir things up for UCRP via CalSTRS
Byadmin October 18, 2011

Yesterday, we noted proposed changes in public pension accounting rules by GASB, the Governmental Accounting Standards Board. An observation from Academic Council Chair Robert Anderson, added to that blog note, indicated that the GASB proposal would not have a direct impact on UCRP. However, the problem facing UCRP is partly political. As prior blog posts have noted, the governor is planning some kind of pension proposals – apparently requiring a ballot proposition. Such a proposition, depending on how it is worded, could sweep UCRP into a statewide change, even though the Regents enacted their own pension modifications in December 2010….

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CalPERS | CalSTRS | health care | pension | pensions | uc retirement

Buried Lede on Retiree Health?
Byadmin October 17, 2011

From Wiktionary “bury the lede” (idiomatic, US, journalism) To begin a story with details of secondary importance to the reader while postponing more essential points or facts. http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bury_the_lede ==== An article in today’s calpensions.com indicates that both CalPERS and CalSTRS have asked GASB – the Governental Accounting Standards Board – for a delay in its proposed new rules on public pension accounting. The rule would allow public pensions such as UCRP to continue with their projections of earnings on their assets (7.5% for UCRP) but would require a much lower discount rate for unfunded liabilities. The net effect of the…

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miscellaneous | UCLA

UCLA History: Reservoir View
Byadmin October 16, 2011

Early aerial view of the UCLA Westwood campus also shows the reservoir north of Sunset Blvd.

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pension | pensions | UC Regents | uc retirement | UCOP

Pension Train Is Leaving the Station
Byadmin October 15, 2011

The Legislature has formed a joint committee to hold meetings around the state on public pensions. As noted in a prior blog post, the governor seems to be formulating his own proposal which he says will involve constitutional changes and need a vote of the electorate. On the joint committee: Legislative leaders have named six lawmakers to a joint committee that will hold hearings on changes to public employee pension systems. Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez has appointed Michael Allen, D-Santa Rosa, Warren Furutani, D-Gardena and Jim Silva, R-Huntington Beach. Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg has appointed Gloria Negrete…

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traffic | transportation | UCLA

Want to go home today from UCLA?
Byadmin October 14, 2011

An earlier post on this blog noted an ongoing labor dispute at the reopening Hotel Bel-Air. From LAObserved’s morning buzz comes this word of caution for today: Union hotel workers will picket the Hotel Bel-Air at 4:30 p.m. and at 5:30 p.m. march to Sunset Boulevard and Stone Canyon Drive. Traffic alerts have gone out. The earlier post was at http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2011/10/bel-air.html

Read More Want to go home today from UCLA?
miscellaneous | UCLA

The Sprowls Website on Computing
Byadmin October 14, 2011

What you see above is a screenshot of a website designed by Professor Emeritus R. Clay Sprowls, a professor of statistics at what is now the Anderson School from 1951 until 1990 when he retired. The dean of the Anderson School last night circulated an email obituary of Prof. Sprowls. Mentioned in the obit was the above-website which provides a history of computing at the School from the 1950s through the 1970s. Although it is largely specific to the School, I suspect there were similar events going on around the campus as computing was introduced to the university and then…

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Michigan Model | State Budget | tuition | UC budget crisis

Peter Taylor, chief financial officer of UC, at Milken Conference
Byadmin October 14, 2011

At the Milken State of the State conference of Oct. 13, Peter Taylor – chief financial officer of UC – was a panelist and spoke on the economic impact of UC on California, tuition, out-of-state students, privatization, and UC-Merced. This is the same event at which Gov. Brown spoke earlier in the day. See prior post. (Cellphone picture of event on the right.) Below is an audio of the Taylor excerpts. (Video with still picture.)

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governor | pension | pensions | Regents | uc retirement | UCOP

Gov. Brown Says Pension Proposal Will Involve Constitutional Changes & a Vote of the People
Byadmin October 14, 2011

At the Milken Institute State of the State conference today (attended by yours truly), Governor Brown was asked by Michael Milken about public pensions in California. (Cell phone photo of conference event at right.) Brown indicated he was working on a proposal on pensions – but did not give a precise date when it would be unveiled. He did say that it would involve a constitutional amendment that would have to be approved by a vote of the people. It was unclear what the coverage of the pension proposal would be. All state and local pensions in California? Just state-level…

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News

So far, money from we-know-not-where has not appeared in state budget

Groundhog Hotel?

Follow Up: GASB proposals could stir things up for UCRP via CalSTRS

Buried Lede on Retiree Health?

UCLA History: Reservoir View

Pension Train Is Leaving the Station

Want to go home today from UCLA?

The Sprowls Website on Computing

Peter Taylor, chief financial officer of UC, at Milken Conference

Gov. Brown Says Pension Proposal Will Involve Constitutional Changes & a Vote of the People

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UC Faculty Associations

Higher Ed Policy

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