University of California campuses protest cuts, fee hikes
A day of action that started as a demonstration by faculty against details of UC’s furlough program quickly swelled to an all-out venting of frustration by students, professors and laborers. Across the state, they marched together to draw attention to the way budget cuts are affecting California’s premier university system: an $813 million deficit this summer led to layoffs and furloughs for employees, fee hikes for students and cutbacks in classes and services. Officials in UC’s Office of the President responded by acknowledging the university must be more aggressive in lobbying state government for funding. "There’s been a sea change here in the last year," said UC spokesman Peter King. "There’s an awareness that we need to roll up our sleeves and get in the game." Whether more lobbyists making the case can help remains to be seen. California is broke, and the economic recession will continue to take a toll on state programs, said H.D. Palmer, spokesman for the state Department of Finance. "No area in state government spending has been unaffected by this," he said. At best, Palmer said, next year "might be less worse."
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by Laurel Rosenhall and Julie Johnson , The Sacramento Bee.