Assemblymember Phil Ting discusses SB 118 with ABC 7's Kristen Sze, allowing UC Berkeley & other higher ed institutions to grow enrollment, while also adhering to environmental protections. Watch here.
California legislators are fast-tracking a rescue effort to help UC Berkeley avoid slashing its in-person fall class by more than 2,600 students to meet a court-ordered enrollment freeze, just as the university prepares to release admission decisions this month.
Under legislation introduced Friday, the state’s public colleges and universities would be given 18 months to complete any court-ordered environmental review before being subject to a mandatory reduction or freeze in campus population.
Scrambling to short-circuit a court-ordered enrollment freeze at the University of California, Berkeley, state legislators on Friday unveiled a proposed change to a landmark environmental law that would let the university admit students at its previously planned level despite a lawsuit charging that its growth is polluting the city.
Today, the California State Assembly introduced SB 118, in response to a recent court ruling regarding student populations at public universities and colleges. The bill gives higher education leaders 18 months to address CEQA-related issues before decisions impacting enrollment growth can be issued. Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) and Assembly Budget Chair Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) issued the following joint statement:
The California Supreme Court on Thursday declined to lift an enrollment cap on UC Berkeley, forcing one of the nation’s most popular campuses to scramble for ways to avoid what it initially feared could be cuts as large as one-third of its incoming fall class, or 3,050 seats, just weeks before it was set to release admission decisions.
The University of California, Berkeley was ordered by the state Supreme Court on Thursday to freeze its undergraduate enrollment at 2020-21 levels, meaning it will have to accept at least 3,000 fewer students than planned for in the upcoming academic year.
State lawmakers have revived an effort to allow San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland to use cameras to enforce excessive speeding amid the region’s surge in traffic violence during the pandemic.
The legislation, which is the third attempt since 2017 to allow some California cities to pilot speed cameras, comes at a time when the Bay Area’s largest cities are struggling to rein in severe and fatal crashes.
Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) released the following statement regarding the state supreme court’s ruling:
“As a Cal alum, I know personally how life changing it can be to attend UC Berkeley. I’m disappointed in the California Supreme Court’s decision to deny Cal’s request for a stay. I’m also angry on behalf of the thousands of students who had their hearts set on attending the country’s most prestigious public university and now may not be admitted through no fault of their own. I have been in contact with UC leadership, and the Legislature is exploring a variety of options.”
As we emerge from the pandemic and reopen our doors, I want to invite you to my first in-person Town Hall since 2019. This will be an outdoor event. I look forward to coming together with you to share my legislative priorities, describe the new laws that have gone into effect and hear your input on California’s future. As Chair of the California State Assembly Budget Committee, I also want to share how the Legislature and Governor are planning to spend the over $20 billion surplus. To read about the COVID-19 protocols for this event or to RSVP, click here.
IN SUMMARY
Volunteers fanned out across the state for the first statewide count of California’s homeless population since 2020. The number is expected to be higher, raising more questions about the impact of the state’s increased spending.