(SACRAMENTO, CA) – Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee and Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento), Chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance, released the following statement in response to the resignation of University of California (UC) executives related to state audit interference:
“We are incredibly disappointed in the University of California’s Office of the President. We requested an audit of the Office of the President last year because the office budget doubled between 2007-08 and 2015-16. The office's interference with the auditor prevented us from fully understanding how UC spends taxpayer dollars. This funding could have been used to enroll more Californians rather than on administrative overhead. We hope the Regents are as outraged as we are and take appropriate measures. We must redouble our efforts in the coming legislative year to find cost savings at UC and redirect dollars to help student enrollment. Money saved at the UC Office of the President lessens the need for enrollment rationing and tuition hikes.
“Taxpayers deserve fair and independent oversight of California’s State agencies. Interfering with state audits hurts the public’s trust and undermines the authority of the State Auditor to examine our public agencies impartially.”
Recently, Governor Brown signed AB 562 in response to the UC audit interference, joint authored by Assemblymembers Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance), Phil Ting and Kevin McCarty, which will set a $5,000 fine to intentionally interfere with a State Auditor investigation.
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CONTACTS: Terry Schanz (McCarty), (916) 319-2007
Jessica Duong (Ting), (916) 319-2019