UC can’t finalize budget due to Assembly delay

By Noah Grand
DAILY BRUIN REPORTER
[email protected]

California is entering its third week of the new fiscal year
without a budget, as legislators debate over how to deal with a
$23.6 billion budget shortfall.

Current indications show that the University of California will
have to endure some budget cuts, although core programs will be
left largely intact.

Additionally, the Senate recently passed a budget plan that
would fund many outreach programs that were cut in Gov. Gray
Davis’ May budget.

The UC Board of Regents had planned to finalize the budget at
its July 18 meeting in San Francisco, but cannot do so until the
state budget is passed and they know how much money they have to
work with.

“It’s unlikely that the UC regents will have a
budget to discuss by Thursday,” said Steve Maviglio, a
spokesman for the governor.

On June 29, the state Senate approved the budget, which included
tax increases, cuts to many state programs and borrowing money.

But this budget was five votes short of approval in the state
Assembly the next day.

Currently, Democrats are trying to get four assembly Republicans
to vote for the budget as it is, while Republicans are fighting
against the proposed tax increases.

If there is no state budget by the July meeting, the regents
will defer approval of the UC’s 2002-2003 budget until
September, when their next meeting is scheduled.

If the Assembly makes substantial changes to the Senate’s
version of the budget, however, the regents will likely call a
special meeting in August to vote on the changes.

A delay would not have any adverse effects on university
operations, said UC spokesman Paul Schwartz.

“It doesn’t hold us up,” Schwartz said.

The assembly will probably accept the Senate’s decision on
UC funding without major changes, he added.

Some Democrats say Republicans are voting against the budget for
political gain in a year when Davis is running for re-election.

“Because of political interest the Republicans
aren’t voting for it,” Maviglio said. “They want
to create chaos to show mismanagement.”

Assembly Republicans say they will not vote for a budget that
raises taxes. The Senate’s budget included $3.6 billion of
tax increases.

Fighting against tax increases “is about basic,
fundamental Republican principles” said Assemblyman John
Campbell, R-Irvine, vice-chair of the assembly budget
committee.

The GOP also wants to reduce the amount of borrowing in the
budget and place spending limits on future budgets.

Though Democrats have a majority in the Assembly, they need four
Republican votes because state budgets must be approved by a
two-thirds majority in both houses before they go to the
governor’s desk.

Democrats faced a similar problem last year, but were able to
get Republicans to cross party lines by offering tax breaks for
farmers and rural communities.

But it is much more difficult to offer incentives for individual
members this year because there is less money to go around.

Regardless, Maviglio said, Davis is trying to get individual
Republicans to vote for the budget instead of trying to reach a
consensus with GOP leadership.

“The leadership is a lost cause,” Maviglio said.

Republican leaders feel differently, saying Davis should try to
reach a consensus with them before speaking only to individual
members.

With reports from Robert Salonga, Daily Bruin Senior Staff, and
The Associated Press.