The threat of a UC and CSU tuition hike in the middle of the 2012-13 academic year could increase college student voter turnout in the November election for those wanting to cast a vote in favor of Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax initiative.
With California’s budget deficit at nearly $16 billion, the tuition costs of public higher education remain highly contingent on the approval of Brown’s tax initiative by California voters. The initiative would fund education and public safety services by increasing personal income taxes by 3 percent on the state’s income earners of more than $250,000 for the next seven years and by raising the sales tax by one-quarter percent for all Californians over the next four years.
The initiative, scheduled to be voted on in November as Proposition 30, would raise $8.5 billion for the state budget this fiscal year, with the majority of the tax revenue going toward public education.
According to Wednesday’s UC Board of Regents meeting agenda, if the tax initiative does not pass on the November ballot, the state will receive a series of trigger cuts that would make a 20.3 percent mid-year tuition increase likely. This would mean the proposed tuition buyout that would give the UC and CSU systems $125 million for a tuition freeze — included on the recently passed state budget — would not be available for the upcoming school year.
UC President Mark Yudof released a statement in June saying that UC students, faculty, staff, alumni and regents have already played a crucial role in persuading the state to increase funding for higher education.
According to survey results released by the Public Policy Institute of California in May, the majority of likely California voters ages 18 to 34 — the age group associated with most UC students — have already suggested they favor the initiative.
The institute found that 82 percent of young California voters said they would vote yes on the initiative, with 16 percent saying they would vote no and 3 percent undecided.
Claudia Magana, president of the UC Student Association, said the organization plans on raising awareness on the initiative’s significance, and that it hopes to get 45,000 students registered to vote before the November ballot.
“This is really what determines how much we are going to pay next year. I would hope a lot of students will be engaged,” Magana said. “It may not be the most perfect initiative, but it addresses the situation of revenue and what needs to be done.”
Yudof and UC Academic Council Chair Robert Anderson have already said they recommended the regents endorse the tax initiative because of the university’s high stakes on the measure.
“If the Governor’s ballot measure fails and the additional cut is triggered, it would be devastating to our campuses … ,” Anderson said in a letter to Yudof.. “It is imperative that the Board of Regents formally endorse the Governor’s ballot measure.”
The board is scheduled to vote on whether to endorse the initiative at its meeting this Wednesday on the UCSF Mission Bay campus.
UC Student Regent-designate Cinthia Flores said the UC system’s endorsement of the initiative will be a subject of much debate at the meeting.
“The biggest contention is whether the board is ready to take a stance on a very partisan measure,” Flores said. “It has the potential to be a monumental decision.”
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He can count on a NO from me. Time to kill some other projects and find other ways to save funds. The recent vote by the Cal State Board to misuse foundation funds to pay the President’s more for their failures has just put another nail in the coffin. How about the CTA using funds to support the schools directly instead of their politics?
Students and faculty, please read the actual initiative. You will not find any funds for UC. The news reporter insinuated that California voters in “the age group associated with most UC students” favor the bill without actually revealing the fact that the bill will give nothing to UC or CSU. 89% of the “temporary” tax revenue will go to K-12 schools while 11% goes to community colleges. Any student not in remedial math can tell you that 89 + 11 = (exercise left to student). Once again, Cal students are being duped to vote for tax increases that won’t raise any money for Cal students. The UC and CSU students who actually pay full tuition now without any financial aid should probably vote for this initiative though because the Democrats in Sacramento have issued a threat: vote for tax increases or see the promised tuition freeze disappear. Public employee union pensions don’t face this kind of extortion, but as usual the UC and CSU students are the first to face cuts while being brainwashed to vote for the Democrats making the cuts.
http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/California_Proposition_30,_Sales_and_Income_Tax_Increase_%282012%29
I hate how students are always the pawns of the system. If the initiative passes, we get a one year reprieve. Then the following year, they will start raising our tuition by double to make up for the tuition raise they can’t implement for 2012-2013. If we don’t vote, then we get hit with an insane increase as punishment. The legislature hates college education. Sadly, 20 years from now Cal will be as good at education as they are at football, and residents will be going to college in China instead of Chinese students coming here.
Voting NO…tell Moonbeam to ride his train to nowhere.
Actually the bonds for the high-speed rail were approved directly by voters under Gov. Schwarzennegger (R). Even if the politicians wanted to redirect the money they wouldn’t be able to w/o another referendum.
Nice try.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California lawmakers approved billions of dollars Friday in construction financing for the initial segment of the nation’s first dedicated high-speed rail line connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The move marked a major political victory for Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown and the Obama administration. Both have promoted bullet trains as job generators and clean transportation alternatives.
An $80 billion bill to generate some construction jobs. We could pay 40,000 people $100K a year for the next two decades with that money. Maybe we should just build a welfare lottery for 40,000 residents.
Once again, you’re spouting nonsense. Arnold was far from perfect but you can’t pin this one on him.
It’s affecting my turnout. I will be there and I will vote NO