Steinberg: Reform the UC!
Senators Yee and Ashburn, Assmemblymembers Portantino and Nestande, have authored Constitutional Amendments to reform the University of California. These two proposals are SCA 21 and ACA24 and are the first real reform of the UC System since 1879.
Unfortunately, Senator Darrell Steinberg, the President pro Tem of the Senate, has decided to put a roadblock in front of UC reform by holding SCA 21 in the Rules Committee. Unless his committee decides to release the bill, it will not receive a hearing and will not move for now.
Senator Steinberg needs to hear how important UC reform is to the people who attend, send their children to, pay taxes for, and work at UC.
SCA 21 and ACA 24 make certain that the people of Californian will have proper public oversight of the UC System. Currently, the University of California is autonomous from the State, meaning that executives at the UC System get to decide what laws that they want to obey. These proposed Constitutional Amendments simply make sure that the UC System has to comply with state law like every other person, family, business and government agency in California.
Let Senator Steinberg know that we are counting on him to move reform of the UC system forward.
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Talking Points
Reform UC Now! UC Acting "Above the Law" Hurts California!
Students and Patients: Over the past few years there has been a dramatic deterioration in the accessibility of the UC System. This year the Regents increased student fees another 9%, making it harder and harder for the average California family to send their children to UC for their college education. UC is now proposing serious layoffs and service cuts which will impact a student's ability to graduate and will hurt the quality of patient care at UC hospitals.
Working Families: With no real public oversight of the UC System, UC's leadership have continued to give UC executives excessive pay and benefit increases. UC boasts that 30 of its top executives took a 5% wage cut. UC fails to mention that the President and nine of ten Chancellors had already received an average of 22% more pay than their predecessors in the past few years. UC hospital CEOs and CNOs also received up to 35% increases between Fall 07 and 08. These increases come on the heels of an executive pay scandal in which large-scale irregularities concerning executive pay and perks were uncovered. While UC continues their practice of excessive pay for executives, it has continued to exempt itself from many state wage and hour laws. To make matters worse, UC is currently calling for 8% wagecuts, and/or furloughs for the average University employee, many of whom are still living in poverty.
Our State and Our Community: For too long UC and its governing board of Regents have been out of touch with ordinary Californians. As a result, UC executives continue with misplaced spending priorities that hurt the University and those that rely on it The recent proposal for across the board cuts will only make it harder for our state economy to recover. UC Leaders should be working with President Obama to stimulate our economy, not stagnate it!
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Subject:
Release the UC Reform Bill
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Dear [ Decision Maker ],
As a member of the UC Community, I am writing to urge you to release SCA 21 (Yee/Ashburn) from the Senate Rules Committee.
For too long UC and its governing board of Regents have been out of touch with ordinary Californians. Currently, the University of California is autonomous from the State, meaning that executives at the UC System get to decide what laws that they want to obey. As a result, UC executives continue with their misplaced spending priorities that hurt the University and those that rely on it.
SCA 21, and its Assembly version, ACA 24 would:
- Make certain that the people of Californian will have proper public oversight of the UC System.
- Ensure that the UC System has to comply with state law like every other person, family, business and government agency in California.
- Hold the UC Regents and UC executives accountable to the people of California and their representatives.
- Restore public faith in leadership the University of California
- Protect taxpayers from lining the pockets of university bureaucrats
- Allow voters to decide if the UC Board of Regents deserves to keep their autonomy and ability to ignore laws passed in response to their egregious actions.
Californians are tired of a UC System which is inaccessible, elitist, and out of touch with the wants and needs of California. Please support this common sense reform of UC.
SCA 21 and ACA 24 are our key legislative priorities this year. We are counting on your leadership to ensure the speedy passage of SCA 21.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]
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