BY MARINA DUNDJERSKI
UCLA Today Staff

As the state Legislature wrangles over how to deal with an estimated $35-billion deficit and next year’s spending plan, University of California leaders told the Board of Regents meeting April 3 in San Francisco they are doing everything they can to ensure that UC’s budget does not suffer cuts beyond the $373-million reduction already proposed in Gov. Gray Davis’ 2003-04 budget plan.

A state Senate version of the budget proposal — which includes no tax increases, rolls over about $4 billion to $5 billion of the deficit to 2004-05 and makes deeper cuts into state programs — includes an additional 10% cut for UC, said Larry Hershman, UC vice president for budget.

“We continue to oppose any additional cuts to our budget,” Hershman said, noting that he and other UC officials have expressed that view to the Senate’s fiscal committee.
As for the governor’s version of the 2003-04 budget, UC leaders said cuts proposed there are not likely to be restored. “The only item in here that has any hope of getting restored is outreach,” Hershman said.

While it is not clear how all the cuts in the governor’s 2003-04 plan will be made in such targeted areas as research, administrative and student services and outreach, they will likely mean closure of some programs and dramatic reductions of others, he said. And given the magnitude of the proposed cuts, “there will have to be some layoffs,” Hershman said.
But UC has been exploring other options with individual campuses, including leaving open vacated positions, voluntary work furloughs and deferring equipment and library purchases.

“I don’t want to suggest to you that quality won’t be eroded,” Hershman said. “It will be eroded. In discussion with the chancellors yesterday, they wanted me to convey that these deep cuts are going to be very serious, and the only good thing was that instruction wasn’t included.”

Several regents suggested that UC needs to look at long-term policies regarding student-fee increases and to evaluate options such as limiting overenrollment of students and asking wealthier students to pay higher tuition fees.

The regents will meet again May 14-15 in San Francisco. Among other actions, they are expected to vote on student-fee increases for 2003-04.

Gov. Davis releases his revision of the budget next month. The Legislature has a June 15 deadline to adopt next year’s budget, but many believe the debate may extend into the fall.
“You could say that the battle lines have been drawn,” Hershman said.