UC Board of Regents to make lobby visits instead of rallying on Capitol steps for increased funding
By Naheed Rajwani
May 9, 2012 1:12 a.m.
The UC Board of Regents is planning a series of lobby visits alongside its bimonthly meeting next week, which marks a change from previous plans to rally for increased higher education funding on the steps of the Capitol.
Members of the UC Board of Regents had laid out plans for the rally during a meeting with UCLA student leaders in December, and in recent board meetings.
Those plans were not set in stone, however, said UC spokeswoman Dianne Klein. The regents ultimately felt speaking with legislators would yield better results, she said.
Several of the regents were also impressed by student protests at the Capitol in early March, said Student Regent Alfredo Mireles Jr. Thousands of students from across the state gathered to lobby legislators for more funding for higher education.
The regents felt they would not be able to re-create the March rally, and decided to pursue a different strategy, Mireles said.
The University of California Students Association was consulted on the decision to change plans, he added.
The regents are now in the process of organizing meetings with legislators, students and university administrators, Klein said.
Representatives of the UCLA administration will be present during the meetings with lawmakers, said UCLA spokesman Steve Ritea.
The board will also hold its bimonthly meeting in Sacramento next week for the first time since 1993, Mireles said ““ a largely symbolic move. Gov. Jerry Brown is expected to release a revision of his budget plan for the upcoming fiscal year on Monday.
Between mid-May and June, the state government will negotiate the budget before it is finalized.
“Having the regents meet in Sacramento around the same time when the governor’s revise comes out is a way to advocate for the university in a different way than in the past,” Mireles said.
Some student leaders have expressed concern about the timing of the lobbying visits.
“It’s a really awkward time of the year,” said Joelle Gamble, a fourth-year international development studies student and external vice president for the Undergraduate Students Association Council. “Other (external vice president) offices are also having a hard time getting students together because of elections.”
Student leaders discussed the upcoming visits during a recent meeting in Santa Cruz, including intentions of setting talking points.
“There was a lot of concern among student leaders to make sure the regents don’t take control of the agenda,” said Patrick Mahn Le, undergraduate chair of the UC Students Association and a UC Irvine student. “We don’t want this to become a publicity
stunt.”
Members of the UC Students Association are in the process of devising an agenda for the lobby visits in hopes that the regents will take a publicized stance on legislative measures such as the Middle Class Scholarship and Brown’s proposed tax initiative when they meet with lawmakers.
“It’s not everything we could possibly want,” Le said. “But it’s still a big step.”
