UC students want more money + The Census is coming + Police bills up for vote
Good Monday morning to you alerters. Friday initiated a hail storm of national news, but here in California...
The Assembly is in session at 1 p.m., Senate starts at 2 p.m.
MONEY, PLEASE
Members of the University of California Student Association will be at the Capitol today to lobby for increased funding, rally support for legislative proposals and advocate for “racial justice and support for undocumented students.”
The event is an opportunity for the association to highlight its main priorities, and this year’s conference comes in the wake of headlines that brought some unwanted attention to the system.
Catch up — A University of California Los Angeles coach resigned on Thursday after news broke that he was one of dozens of coaches, administrators and athletic directors caught up in the recent college admissions scandal. Assemblyman Kevin McCarty, D-Sacramento, then called on UC President Janet Napolitano to conduct a thorough investigation into all UC campuses.
And a report last week out of The Institute for College Access and Success and the association revealed that students of color and low-income graduates take out student loans at a disproportionate rate compared to their white and wealthier classmates.
In the $1.4 billion budget bump Gov. Gavin Newsom allocated for higher education, $240 million will funnel to UC for ongoing costs, and a one-time $138 million will cover deferred maintenance.
Is that enough? — The representatives of the nearly 300,000 students at UC think not. Which is why they are asking lawmakers to consider an additional $200 million to finance enrollment growth and keep tuition flat. The association is also advocating for $700,000 for ongoing immigration legal services and $20 million in College Readiness Block Grants, which help with UC outreach to underrepresented students.
“This is about our voices as students of color, first generation students, and underrepresented communities who are ready to reclaim higher education,” said Emelia Martinez, UCSA government relations chair and student from UC, Riverside. “On Monday, when we walk into the capital, we are ready to do what it takes so that the more-than 280,000 UC students benefit from better basic needs resources such as rapid rehousing, more accessible financial aid options such as Summer Cal Grant, and adequate funding that maintains a flat tuition for next year.”
State Sen. Richard Roth, D-Riverside, is sponsoring legislation that would expand funding for summer grants and finance construction of a new Riverside School of Medicine facility. He’ll join association representatives and Assemblyman Jose Medina, D-Riverside, for a press conference scheduled for noon on the North Steps.
“Our UC students cannot be a part of that California dream if there aren’t mechanisms in place to ensure their success,” Roth said. “We must act now to provide more financial flexibility for our students. If we are asking our college students to be California’s champions – counting on them to become the well-educated workforce of tomorrow – we must be their champions! I am honored to help address this critical issue.”
CENSUS 2020
What’s at stake? Are we ready? What are the challenges? How are we going to overcome them?
Those are the 2020 Census questions California Secretary of State Alex Padilla will have to answer today during a panel with Mark Baldassare, president and CEO of the Public Policy Institute of California.
Padilla and Baldassare will join state and local leaders to talk about achieving an accurate population count during the Census next year, scheduled for April 1.
It’s no easy feat, and there’s a lot on the line. Like political representation and billions in federal funds to start.
“If you have a severe under count, do you have fewer representatives in Congress? Or if the areas you come from have a severe under count, does it change representation in local government?” Baldassare explained to The Bee, continuing that the cash flow from federal programs would also be affected.
But a potential citizenship question President Donald Trump’s administration is pushing could scare off residents whose responses are integral to the count. Baldassare said respondents might also feel hesitant to respond considering the recent fear around privacy breaches and data sharing.
The Census Bureau is aiming to collect 55 percent of responses online, with the remainder to be completed by mail or in person. Getting people to respond to the survey’s detailed questions will help the U.S. government gather an accurate portrait of demographics, employment information, education background and economic well being, the institute outlined.
The event is scheduled for noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Sacramento. Registration is closed, but you can watch the live stream here.
PEACE OFFICERS
The Assembly is scheduled to vote on two proposals related to peace officers today.
Assembly Bill 54, authored by Assemblyman Philip Ting, D-San Francisco, is related to when an enforcement agency receives a request to review audio or video “pertaining to a critical incident.” If it’s determined that disclosing the recordings would interfere with an investigation, the agency is mandated to relay that information and also provide an estimation for when the records will become available.
Democrat Jim Cooper from Elk Grove also has his Assembly Bill 137 up, which would help officers prepare for disciplinary proceedings because the bill would require the agency to detail the time, date and general characterizations of the conduct under question. The proposal also specifies that communications between the officers and a disciplinary representative are confidential.
TWEET OF THE DAY
Best of The Bee:
- Mueller investigation found no Trump, Russia conspiracy, attorney general says by Don Sweeney and Jared Gilmour
- California AG seeks injunction against Trump’s ‘gag rule’ limiting abortion referrals by Cathie Anderson
- Gov. Gavin Newsom declares state wildfire emergency, citing ‘extreme peril’ by Sophia Bollag