State senator proposes amendment to strip UC’s constitutional autonomy
By Jeong Park
Dec. 3, 2014 7:28 p.m.
A California state senator proposed a state constitutional amendment Wednesday that would strip the University of California of its autonomy from the state.
The amendment from Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) would allow the state Legislature to give itself powers to control the UC more closely, such as the ability to veto any of the UC Board of Regents’ actions like tuition increases. In order for the amendment to be placed on the ballot for the 2016 election, it needs to get two-thirds majority approval in both legislative chambers.
The Legislature would be prevented from enacting any law that restrains academic freedom within the UC, according to the amendment. Furthermore, the University will be required to focus its recruitment efforts on the enrollment of California residents.
“At a time when access, affordability and diversity are in question, we should allow the public to have a direct say in how its public university system operates,” Lara said in a statement.
Lara’s proposal comes after the regents passed a controversial plan that may raise tuition by up to 5 percent for the next five years if the state does not allocate significantly more funding to the UC. The regents’ action brought outcry from both legislators and students. On Tuesday, the Undergraduate Students Association Council passed a resolution on Tuesday expressing vote of no confidence in UC President Janet Napolitano and the regents.
Regents argued that tuition increases may be necessary to upkeep the UC’s quality of education amid lower state funding levels.
On Tuesday, Sen. Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) proposed a plan to keep UC in-state tuition flat for the next year, while increasing the University’s nonresident supplemental tuition by 17 percent.
USAC External Vice President Conrad Contreras said he expects his office will advocate for the amendment, although he said he wants to meet with Lara first to discuss.
“We are seeing that people and entities outside the University are taking action to help students make the UC more democratic,” Contreras said.
UC spokesperson Steve Montiel said in an email statement that he thinks the proposal distracts from the debate over how to fund the UC.
“This proposal … is a distraction from the central issue of the state’s funding of higher education and the goals of affordability and access,” Montiel said in the statement. “Autonomy for the UC has been guaranteed in the Constitution since 1878, and that has worked out very well for people and communities in every part of the state.”
Montiel added that the UC already holds itself accountable in multiple ways and sends regular reports to the Legislature about its budget and the status of the University.
In 2009, then-Sen. Leland Yee proposed a similar amendment after the University gave chancellors a raise in their salaries. The amendment failed to pass through the Legislature.
Compiled by Jeong Park, Bruin senior staff.
