While the nation is still dealing with the Wisconsin labor debate, UC Regent nominee David Crane thought a few days before his confirmation process was a good time to get involved in the issue.  In fact, the timing was so awesome that he thought the occasion was ripe to put an op-ed in the San Francisco Chronicle.  Oh, and –Spoiler Alert!– he wants to get rid of collective bargaining for public employees.

Collective bargaining is a good thing when it’s needed to equalize power, but when public employees already have that equality because of civil service protections, collective bargaining in the public sector serves to reduce benefits for citizens and to raise costs for taxpayers. Citizens and taxpayers should consider this as they watch events unfold in Madison. (SF Chronicle)

This was published back on February 27, and now that a week has passed, and Crane is making his way to the Capitol, Senators Ted Lieu and Leland Yee both put out press releases stating that they will lead the charge against Crane’s confirmation as a UC Regent. From Sen Lieu’s statement:

“I actively oppose the confirmation of David Crane as a UC Regent.  I read Mr. Crane’s Op-Ed in the San Francisco Chronicle in which he argues for the elimination of collective bargaining for public sector employees.  I cannot support someone for the powerful post of UC Regent who continues to perpetuate the myth that collective bargaining caused our state economic crisis and has a fundamental misunderstanding of how our state budget operates.

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The specific reason our general fund spending sharply declined was because the person Mr. Crane advised, former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, reduced the Vehicle License Fee and replaced it with . . . nothing.  As a result, the state general fund lost over $5 to $6 billion in revenues per year for every year Mr. Schwarzenegger was in office.  The VLF reduction has resulted in a total loss of over $30 billion to the state, an amount in excess of the current California budgetary shortfall.  How conveniently Mr. Crane forgot to mention that critical fact when it doesn’t suit his ideological assault on public sector unions.

Given that so much attention is being paid to the budget, who knows how much attention this will get.  However, given the national climate, I expect that this might gather some focus in Sacramento while Crane tries to get approved.