May 14 -- In his state budget May Revise presentation this morning, Gov. Jerry Brown continued to call for stronger CSU funding over the next four fiscal years, a plan he first unveiled in January.   

May 14: In his state budget May Revise presentation this morning, Gov. Jerry Brown called for a variety of solutions to help erase a budget deficit that has grown to $15.7 billion. His administration needs to bridge that gap in the state’s $91.4 billion 2012-13 general fund spending plan. Cuts include an increase in this fall’s trigger cut to the CSU budget from $200 to $250 million.   

In a newly published report, the Legislative Analyst's Office has recommended that lawmakers reject Gov. Brown's proposed four percent per year increase in public higher education funding over the next few fiscal years. Pledging to give automatic increases presents problems, the LAO said, because other parts of the budget could suffer and lawmakers would have little discretion if one higher education system needed more money than another. Read details in this February 8 Sacramento Bee article.   

In this commentary, California Budget Project Executive Director Jean Ross argues that a reworking of Prop. 13--including reinstating the ability to raise state taxes with a majority vote--would provide more transparency and accountability in the state budget process.   

January 5: In a press conference this afternoon, Gov. Jerry Brown outlined his proposed 2012-13 budget, which calls for no change from this year’s level of state support of the CSU, provided that his tax initiative slated for the November ballot is passed by voters.   

December 13: CSUEU released this statement in response to the Department of Finance’s action this morning to enact $1 billion in mid-year trigger cuts, including $100 million in cuts to the CSU system.   

On August 31, the legislature approved a bill to reform all public employee pension systems in California. This CSUEU FAQ explains this legislation and its impacts.   

As detailed in this October 22 Sacramento Bee article, state prison employees across the state are receiving layoff warning notices as part of a realignment of prisoner care to the local level.   

A new California Budget Project backgrounder, "Steady Climb: State Corrections Spending in California" (PDF), looks at state spending on corrections, which has increased by almost 1,500 percent in the past generation, far outpacing the growth in state General Fund spending. "What would the CSU look like, and how much better off would our state economy be if there had been a 1,500 percent increase in public higher education instead of corrections during this period?" asks CSUEU President Pat Gantt. "In recent years, three strikes and the politics of fear ensured that building prisons became a mandate and not a choice. Across the country, three strikes-type legislation has been championed by the Corrections Corporation of America, and conservative politicians have used it to get tough on crime at any cost-with nationwide public higher education ending up cut in almost direct proportion to the resulting growth in corrections."   

In this September 2 Sacramento Bee opinion piece, two California Budget Project leaders argue that federal and state budget cuts are shortsighted, in part because they're decimating such public services as education. They state, "Private sector job growth has picked up in California, but these gains have been partly offset by the disappearance of public sector jobs, especially in education. In fact, in the past three years, the state lost public sector jobs at a rate more than double the national average."