University of California Budget News

January 28, 2010

Obama calls for investment in education

President Obama’s State of the Union address outlined steps to make college more affordable: increases in Pell Grants, $10,000 in tax credits for a four-year education and student loan forgiveness. All good news for University of California students and their families. UC awards more Pell Grants than any research university in the country. About 33 percent of UC undergraduates receive the grants, which are awarded to low-income students with family income below $45,000.

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January 26, 2010

UC responds to LAO report on higher ed funding proposal

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January 26, 2010

California can save prison health care costs

Dr. John Stobo, senior vice president of UC Health Sciences and Services, says it’s possible for the state to decrease the cost of prison health care and increase the quality. In fact, he says California could save $1.5 billion a year if it does what Texas did. He should know. Before joining UC, Stobo was president of the University of Texas Medical Branch, which contracts with the state to provide prison health services.

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January 26, 2010

California’s priorities need to shift to education

Gov. Schwarzenegger kicked off 2010 with a bold plan to shift state dollars from prisons to California’s public universities. On the heels of that announcement came his 2010-11 budget proposal with more good news for UC – the restoration of $371 million. These developments signal a change in priorities for California, and I deeply appreciate the governor’s efforts. But the governor’s budget includes only about 40 percent of the funds UC needs  to restore the cuts of the last two years, to fully support all the students we enroll and to stabilize the UC Retirement Plan. Read more of President Yudof’s message.

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January 21, 2010

UC launches 10,000 e-mails budget advocacy campaign

The University of California is asking friends and supporters to send 10,000 e-mails to Sacramento lawmakers asking them to support UC’s budget request for the $913 million needed to restore financial stability.

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January 19, 2010

Prison costs, anti-tax movements hurt higher ed funding

UC Regent Richard Blum takes on George Will in a letter to the Washington Post, calling Will’s contention that “compassionate liberalism” is the cause of California’s trouble funding its public universities. Blum blames the rise in prison costs and the popular anti-tax movements.

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January 12, 2010

Yudof urges speaking out for full UC funding

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January 12, 2010

Oil tax for higher ed bill passes committee

Assemblyman Albert Torrico’s bill to tax the value of oil and gas resources extracted from California (AB 656) is on its way to the Assembly Appropriations Committee after clearing the Revenue and Taxation Committee. The proposed 12.5 percent oil severance tax would generate an annual $1.3 billion for UC, CSU and community colleges, according to the SacBee.

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January 12, 2010

LAO: Governor’s budget ‘unrealistic’ about fed funds

California’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office breaks down Gov. Schwarzenegger’s budget proposal, saying the likelihood the federal government will come through with the $6.9 billion the governor is requesting is “nonexistent.”

Meanwhile, California Progress Report columnist Peter Schrag calls the governor’s budget “a thin gruel of gimmicks, borrowing and hollow hopes.”

In the same column, Schrag gives his take on Schwarzenegger’s proposal to shift funding from state prisons to UC and CSU via a constitutional amendment.

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January 8, 2010

Schwarzenegger spares UC Cal Grants, restores some funds

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger unveiled a spending plan Friday that includes $371 million in additional money for UC plus funding for Cal Grants – enough to cover the recently approved fee increases for UC students eligible for the grant program. Seeking to close a nearly $20 billion state deficit, the governor proposed $8.9 billion in cuts with health and social services and prisons taking the biggest hit.

“While we deeply appreciate the governor’s actions, notwithstanding the crisis in the state budget, there is still a significant gap as we seek to repair a budget that has been severely cut,” UC President Mark Yudof said. “The university requested $913 million to address this critical issue.”

Yudof said UC would be asking legislators to support the governor’s budget but to also look for opportunities to restore the full $913 million.

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