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California’s 29th District Senate Republican Leader, Bob Huff

By Senator Bob Huff (R-San Dimas)
The University of California should be a beacon of opportunity for California students; but in recent years, there’s been a clear trend at UC campuses to turn away too many of our own California students in favor of higher paying, out-of-state students and foreign elites. This crowding out of our own high school graduates from UC schools is a trend that can’t be allowed to continue.

The numbers tell the story: UC officials claim state budget cuts have forced them to admit more and more out-of-state students. This makes some fiscal sense, because those out-of-state students pay nearly triple the tuition charged to California residents.  But this year, fully one out of three freshman students admitted to UC campuses are from out-of-state.  And, despite past assurances I’ve gotten from UC officials, some of those out-of-state students are receiving financial aid that’s been paid for with California taxpayer dollars. Not only is that not fair to California families, if this trend continues we could soon see the day when the majority of students entering the University of California aren’t from California.

And while UC officials claim that state budget cuts are forcing them to turn more and more to out-of-state students and the dollars they bring, that’s not the whole story.  After all, there’s more to fiscal management than simply grabbing more dollars. There’s also controlling costs, and that’s where UC officials don’t have a very good story to tell. In the past 20 years, UC has tripled its hiring of non-faculty administrators.  That’s a big increase in spending for some very expensive bean counters and pencil pushers.  And it’s a tough increase to justify.  For comparison’s sake, over the same period UC was busy tripling its administrative staff, the California State University actually cut its administrative staff by a third.
We can do better. Our students deserve better. That’s why I signed on this year as co-author of SCA 4, a proposed Senate Constitutional Amendment which places a ten percent cap on UC out-of-state admissions.   SCA 4 also freezes UC tuition for the next five years, and bars out-of-state students from receiving financial assistance from California families.  SCA 4 protects our students while imposing a little fiscal discipline on UC’s educational bureaucracy.

SCA 4 likely won’t make it through the Legislature this year, and that’s a shame, because now the people will be denied a chance to vote for its important student protections.
Education is the great equalizer, because education is what turns opportunity into real world success. If we truly want to battle income inequality and increase opportunity for Californians, it’s time to protect UC’s educational opportunities for California students.

Senator Bob Huff serves as the Senate Minority Leader and represents the 29^th Senate District covering portions of Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino Counties. Follow Senator Huff on Twitter @bobhuff99.