The blame game

HIGHER EDUCATION: With the midyear cuts to the UC guaranteed to occur, we continue to see our public leaders pointing fingers.

What we long knew to be inevitable has now been confirmed. In an interview with The Daily Californian’s Senior Editorial Board Friday, UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau said that Gov. Jerry Brown personally “assured” him that the UC will be hit with up to $100 million in midyear cuts, guaranteeing Read More…

Letters to the Editor: October 7, 2011

Legislator discusses taxes, state funding and solutions I appreciate the thoughtful Sept. 20 editorial regarding the deep harm budget cuts and fee increases have caused to students individually and to the UC system collectively. As California continues to struggle through the recession, reduced state revenues remain a threat to our Read More…

Chancellor Robert Birgeneau derided state legislators in emails

In emails sent between administrators surrounding the Nov. 9 Occupy Cal protest, Chancellor Robert Birgeneau criticized Assemblymember Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, and State Senator Loni Hancock, D-Oakland. Emails recently received by the Daily Cal from the UC Berkeley Public Records office include a Nov. 8 email from Birgeneau to Executive Vice Chancellor Read More…

CALPIRG seeks to garner 60,000 signatures to ban plastic bags

Local politicians and environmental advocates joined the UC Berkeley chapter of CALPIRG on Upper Sproul Plaza Wednesday to speak about the importance of banning the distribution of single-use plastic bags in California. State Assemblymember Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, and Berkeley City Councilmember Kriss Worthington joined CALPIRG members at a sparsely attended Read More…

UC Davis Police Lt. John Pike pepper sprays demonstrators who had linked arms and were preventing attempts by the police to remove arrested protesters.

Report on UC Davis pepper spray incident blames administrators, police

An investigative report released at noon Wednesday lambasted UC Davis administrators and police officials for their handling of a Nov. 18 protest in which police pepper-sprayed student demonstrators. The 190-page report faults ineffectual administrative decision-making, poor police planning and weak chains of communication for the pepper-spraying. Along with the findings Read More…

Nancy Skinner speaks at the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce.

Emails reveal potentially tense relationship between administration, legislators

Spokesperson relays apology from Birgeneau for remark that Skinner and Hancock 'only know how to do damage'

Recently obtained email exchanges between campus officials regarding the Nov. 9 Occupy Cal protest suggest that the UC Berkeley administration may have tense feelings about the role of two state legislators in encouraging past campus protests. In a Nov. 8 email, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost George Breslauer wrote to Read More…

skinner perez

ASUC to host roundtable with state Assembly members

The ASUC will host a roundtable discussion about the Middle Class Scholarship Act with Speaker of the Assembly John Perez, D-Los Angeles, and Assemblymember Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, on Thursday in the ASUC Senate chambers in Eshleman Hall. The two former UC Berkeley students coauthored the act, which is designed to close Read More…