I confirmed my intent to enroll in college on May 1, 2012, just like nearly every other prospective college student in the country.

And it wasn’t UCLA.

The political climate in California often centers around two things: the economy and education. However, the budget currently pending Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature demonstrates that the legislature fails to understand the connection between the two.

As the adage goes, more money, more problems.

On May 21, three propositions will appear on the L.A. ballot concerning the legality of medicinal marijuana dispensaries in the city.

The financial illness of the University of California Student Health Insurance Plan appeared early in February, diagnosed initially with a $57 million deficit.

Gov. Jerry Brown wants to give California’s education system an extensive makeover. Last week, Brown outlined attempts to overhaul the California educational system, an effort he hopes will reduce what he sees as an increasingly visible “two-tier society.”
Brown’s most recent efforts began earlier this month, when it became public that the governor wanted to tie increased funding to an improvement in the four-year graduation rates of the University of California and California State Universities.

Last Tuesday, members of the Undergraduate Students Association Council attempted to take on the responsibility of holding themselves and the school responsible for their financial investments.

In Oakland, the University of California Office of the President has been engaged in deliberations over a cap on health.

Last year, Governor Jerry Brown, in the face of fiscal austerity, tied education spending to his proposed tax hike, Proposition 30. Now, with the passage of the sequester putting research and education-related jobs on the chopping block, lawmakers once again have the ability to stimulate conversation about education funding through tax reform.

Health insurance is boring until it isn’t. This was the sentiment expressed at a weekly Undergraduate Students Association Council meeting in early February. This statement symbolizes the new fight brewing over the University of California’s Student Health Insurance Plan, which is now more than $57 million in debt.