In 1879, the University of California (UC) Board of Regents were granted autonomy on all issues related to the management of the institution and thus subject to public oversight on some budgetary matters. As a result, statutory laws are generally not binding over the University of California, leaving an appointed and unresponsive board with the exclusive authority to run the institution in a manner that reflects or rejects the will of the people.Two weeks ago, I proudly joined University of California students and employees to introduce legislation that would bring much-needed public oversight, accountability, and transparency to the University of California. Senate Constitutional Amendment 21 would allow the voters to decide if the UC Board of Regents deserve to maintain its autonomy and be able to ignore laws passed in response to actions that seek to circumvent the tenets of good governance such as the recently approved exorbitant pay hikes for UC San Francisco and UC Davis executives.
The UC Regents and the UC Office of the President – supported by their numerous and well-compensated lobbyists and public relations representatives – are again fighting this commonsense reform, just as they have deliberately undermined every reasonable effort to correct their previous acts of misconduct. Unsurprisingly, the UC administration is attempting to characterize this effort as a takeover by the Legislature. And like many of their assertions through the years, their attempt at a public relations sleight of hand is both false or misleading.
The fact is the Legislature can enact statute that affects policies at the California State University as well as for the State’s community college system, yet the CSU and our community colleges are still fully administered and managed by the Board of Trustees and the Board of Governors respectively. SCA 21 would simply establish that the voters and taxpayers of California – via the Legislature - enjoy a similar relationship with what is now a completely unaccountable Board of Regents. Simply stated, the UC Regents would no longer be able to ignore legislation attempting to rein in their arrogance and excesses.
As an alumnus of UC Berkeley, I say, enough is enough. It is time for the UC administration to stop conducting the business of the public university system it oversees as if the UC was a private club. Only five other public universities in the country have a similar status, with UC receiving the greatest level of autonomy. This completely outdated model results in the Regents thinking they are above and beyond the law and the will of the people of California. They continuously violate the public trust with no respect for the students, faculty, workers and taxpayers.
The University has been plagued by numerous and all too frequent scandals over the years, most recently when the Regents approved double digit compensation hikes last month for two new campus chancellors, with each earning over $400,000 in addition to the many perks and benefits enjoyed by these executives. Such compensation packages far exceed those earned by event the President of the United States and the Governor of California. In the same meeting these salaries packages were approved, the Regents significantly raised student fees and precluded public comment by holding the meeting via teleconference.
To combat the egregious lack of public oversight over the Regents, I have launched reformtheUC.com. There you have the opportunity to contact your local elected officials and get them on board with the effort to bring accountability to this multi-billion dollar institution that affects the lives of all Californians. In addition, you can become a fan of this effort on Facebook. Your support will be vital in this effort, so get online and let your voice be heard.
The UC Regents and the UC Office of the President – supported by their numerous and well-compensated lobbyists and public relations representatives – are again fighting this commonsense reform, just as they have deliberately undermined every reasonable effort to correct their previous acts of misconduct. Unsurprisingly, the UC administration is attempting to characterize this effort as a takeover by the Legislature. And like many of their assertions through the years, their attempt at a public relations sleight of hand is both false or misleading.
The fact is the Legislature can enact statute that affects policies at the California State University as well as for the State’s community college system, yet the CSU and our community colleges are still fully administered and managed by the Board of Trustees and the Board of Governors respectively. SCA 21 would simply establish that the voters and taxpayers of California – via the Legislature - enjoy a similar relationship with what is now a completely unaccountable Board of Regents. Simply stated, the UC Regents would no longer be able to ignore legislation attempting to rein in their arrogance and excesses.
As an alumnus of UC Berkeley, I say, enough is enough. It is time for the UC administration to stop conducting the business of the public university system it oversees as if the UC was a private club. Only five other public universities in the country have a similar status, with UC receiving the greatest level of autonomy. This completely outdated model results in the Regents thinking they are above and beyond the law and the will of the people of California. They continuously violate the public trust with no respect for the students, faculty, workers and taxpayers.
The University has been plagued by numerous and all too frequent scandals over the years, most recently when the Regents approved double digit compensation hikes last month for two new campus chancellors, with each earning over $400,000 in addition to the many perks and benefits enjoyed by these executives. Such compensation packages far exceed those earned by event the President of the United States and the Governor of California. In the same meeting these salaries packages were approved, the Regents significantly raised student fees and precluded public comment by holding the meeting via teleconference.
To combat the egregious lack of public oversight over the Regents, I have launched reformtheUC.com. There you have the opportunity to contact your local elected officials and get them on board with the effort to bring accountability to this multi-billion dollar institution that affects the lives of all Californians. In addition, you can become a fan of this effort on Facebook. Your support will be vital in this effort, so get online and let your voice be heard.
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