Amendment would Protect Student and Taxpayer Dollars
By State Senator Leland Yee
In 1879, the University of California Board Of Regents were granted autonomy on most issues related to the management of the institution and thus rarely subject to public oversight. As a result, statutory laws are generally not binding over the UC, leaving an appointed and unresponsive board with exclusive authority to run the UC in a manner often not reflective of the will of the people.
Last month, I proudly joined UC students and employees to introduce bipartisan legislation that would bring much-needed public oversight, access, transparency, and accountability to the University. Senate Constitutional Amendment 21 would allow the voters to decide if the UC Regents deserve to maintain their autonomy and circumvent the tenets of good governance.
As an alumnus of UC, I believe it is long overdue for the UC administration to stop conducting the business of the public university system as if it were a private club. Only five other public universities in the country have a similar status, with UC receiving the greatest level of autonomy. This governance model – developed during the days of the horse and buggy – certainly should be revisited.
All too frequently, the University has violated the public trust, most recently when the Regents approved double digit compensation hikes for two new 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 even 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.
Despite several attempts to reign in such egregious actions, the questionable conduct continues – public records request are denied, workers are disenfranchised, high executives are granted “golden parachutes” and then immediately rehired, whistleblowers are retaliated against, and contracts are kept secret and often not put out to a competitive bidding process. In the case of the UC Retirement Plan, the management contracts were given to firms owned by family members of the UC Investment Advisory Committee. These high-priced pension consultants replaced professional university financial staff who managed the plan with far greater success.
The need for SCA 21 has never been greater. While students are hit with huge fee increases, top UC administrators receive exorbitant salary hikes. The UC Regents use Californians’ hard-earned tax dollars for luxurious holiday jaunts, to reward family and friends with lucrative public contracts, and to even install a dog run for one chancellor, while simultaneously allowing thousands of workers to live on poverty wages. In these tough economic times, California residents have been asked to sacrifice. Our state budget and our residents cannot afford to furnish university executives with lifestyles like that of the rich and famous.
Please join our bipartisan coalition supporting SCA 21 that will restore the luster of the University of California as an invaluable public asset, ensure taxpayer dollars are not used to line with gold the pockets of university bureaucrats, and create the oversight necessary to ensure the Regents keep the public interest at heart.
By State Senator Leland Yee
In 1879, the University of California Board Of Regents were granted autonomy on most issues related to the management of the institution and thus rarely subject to public oversight. As a result, statutory laws are generally not binding over the UC, leaving an appointed and unresponsive board with exclusive authority to run the UC in a manner often not reflective of the will of the people.Last month, I proudly joined UC students and employees to introduce bipartisan legislation that would bring much-needed public oversight, access, transparency, and accountability to the University. Senate Constitutional Amendment 21 would allow the voters to decide if the UC Regents deserve to maintain their autonomy and circumvent the tenets of good governance.
As an alumnus of UC, I believe it is long overdue for the UC administration to stop conducting the business of the public university system as if it were a private club. Only five other public universities in the country have a similar status, with UC receiving the greatest level of autonomy. This governance model – developed during the days of the horse and buggy – certainly should be revisited.
All too frequently, the University has violated the public trust, most recently when the Regents approved double digit compensation hikes for two new 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 even 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.
Despite several attempts to reign in such egregious actions, the questionable conduct continues – public records request are denied, workers are disenfranchised, high executives are granted “golden parachutes” and then immediately rehired, whistleblowers are retaliated against, and contracts are kept secret and often not put out to a competitive bidding process. In the case of the UC Retirement Plan, the management contracts were given to firms owned by family members of the UC Investment Advisory Committee. These high-priced pension consultants replaced professional university financial staff who managed the plan with far greater success.
The need for SCA 21 has never been greater. While students are hit with huge fee increases, top UC administrators receive exorbitant salary hikes. The UC Regents use Californians’ hard-earned tax dollars for luxurious holiday jaunts, to reward family and friends with lucrative public contracts, and to even install a dog run for one chancellor, while simultaneously allowing thousands of workers to live on poverty wages. In these tough economic times, California residents have been asked to sacrifice. Our state budget and our residents cannot afford to furnish university executives with lifestyles like that of the rich and famous.
Please join our bipartisan coalition supporting SCA 21 that will restore the luster of the University of California as an invaluable public asset, ensure taxpayer dollars are not used to line with gold the pockets of university bureaucrats, and create the oversight necessary to ensure the Regents keep the public interest at heart.
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