News

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    CSU Tuition Prepares for Blast Off

    Byadmin

    From Capitol Alert blog of the Sacramento Bee today: …Chancellor Charles Reed announced this afternoon that he will ask trustees to vote on a 12 percent tuition increase when they meet on July 12. “What was once unprecedented has unfortunately become normal, as for the second time in three years the CSU will be cut by well over $500 million,” Reed said in a statement. “The magnitude of this cut, compounded with the uncertainty of the final amount of the reduction, will have negative impacts on the CSU long after this upcoming fiscal year has come and gone.” Full article:…

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    Gone: The End of CPEC

    Byadmin

    From the LA Times today: …Brown completely eliminated the California Postsecondary Education Commission, saving $1.9 million. For nearly four decades, the panel has coordinated planning between California’s three branches of higher education — the California State University and University of California systems and the community colleges. In his veto message, Brown called the commission ineffective… Full article at http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-state-budget-20110701,0,1204898.story It was swell while it lasted:

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    Time to Fold?

    Byadmin

    The saga of the UCR med-school-to-be continues in the Riverside Press-Enterprise (excerpts): UC Riverside officials announced Wednesday that the opening of their proposed medical school will be postponed a year because they did not secure the ongoing state funding needed to gain accreditation. The announcement from Chancellor Timothy White came the day after Democrats in Sacramento passed a 2011-12 budget that did not include extra funding for the medical school. The budget, which Gov. Jerry Brown signed Wednesday night, cut another $150 million from the UC system on top of the $500 million reduction taken earlier this year… “We can’t…

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    If the Trigger Is Pulled

    Byadmin

    As noted in earlier blog posts, the new state budget has a trigger provision that activates if assumed revenue does not materialize. Higher ed takes an additional hit if that occurs. So does K-12. But K-12 school districts are not permitted to make budget plans that assume an additional hit. From today’s Sacramento Bee: …Lawmakers blocked K-12 districts from laying off teachers for the upcoming fiscal year. Teachers also won provisions requiring districts to ignore – for now – the prospect of a $1.75 billion “trigger” cut that could hit K-12 districts if optimistic revenue projections fall short. Instead, the…

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    29-Story Wilshire-Gayley Hotel

    Byadmin

    Yours truly received a phone call yesterday from a reporter about a 29-story hotel project on the site of the old Hollywood video store, long closed, on the northwest corner of Wilshire and Gayley (adjacent to the UCLA parking lot). This project has been in the works for some time. For example, you can read a description of it in a 2009 filing with the City of LA at http://cityplanning.lacity.org/eir/WilshireGayleyProject/DEIR/issues/I._Executive_Summary.pdf At that time, i.e., in 2009, the developer was describing it as either a mixed condo/hotel project or just a condo project. A more recent news article, however, terms it…

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    Where Are They Going?

    Byadmin

    UC fears talent loss to deeper pockets Larry Gordon, LA Times, 6/29/11 UC San Diego faced a losing battle recently when it tried to hang on to three star scientists being wooed by Rice University for cutting-edge cancer research. The recruiting package from the private Houston university included 40% pay raises, new labs and a healthy flow of research money from a Texas state bond fund. Another factor, unrelated to Rice, helped close the deal: The professors’ sense that declining state funding for the University of California makes it a good time to pack their bags. “What’s happening now is…

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    Deeply Disappointed

    Byadmin

    When the previous (and now-vetoed) state budget was enacted, President Yudof and Regents Chair Gould put out a strong press release condemning the action. Now that we a new budget with the same cut and a trigger that could add still more cuts, the press release reaction seems rather tepid, given that this is the second time around: UC statement on state budget plan 2011-06-28 The following statement about the budget plan announced by Gov. Jerry Brown and the Democratic leaders of the state Legislature was released today (June 28) by the University of California Office of the President: The…

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    No Parking (On the Sidewalk) Around UCLA

    Byadmin

    From the LA Times today: After years of warnings, debate and delays, Los Angeles officials this week began ticketing the cars of drivers who “apron park” on the streets of Westwood, a move critics say will create a parking crisis around the UCLA campus. For decades, Westwood residents — many of them UCLA students — have packed their cars into driveways in such a way that they block sidewalks and spill out into the street. They argue that the makeshift, but illegal, practice is the only way to deal with a critical lack of parking around the campus and in…

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    For $200, You, Too, Can File a Pension Initiative!

    Byadmin

    There are potentially serious threats via the direct democracy process that could override the Regents’ December action on the UC pension. But there are also initiatives on pensions (and other public issues) that are filed with no prospect they will go anywhere since the authors don’t have the $1-$2 million needed to hire signature-gathering firms. Here is an excerpt from a recent example that is now pending at the Attorney General: …The members of the retirement board of a public pension or retirement system shall on and after January 1, 2016, invest and maintain at least 85 percent of the…

  • A Diversion from the Obvious: Doing What They Do Best?

    Byadmin

    Let’s give the state and UC budgets a rest for a moment. Many faculty during the summer travel to conferences or just vacations. Yours truly has been traveling of late on American Airlines and noted that boarding the plane has become chaotic. There seems to be no pattern in use. Many airlines board from the rear on the idea that aisles closer to the front won’t be blocked by passengers trying to stow luggage or get settled. If you randomize the entry, you get blocked aisles. But the airline has decided that random will be the new system. Now it…