Tag Archives: AB 656

California

AB 656: A Movement Both Offline and On

( – promoted by Robert Cruickshank)

The movement to save higher education is building momentum on the streets and on the Internet.  

Californians understand the stakes. Over the past ten years, fee increases and painful budget cuts have undermined a system of higher education that was once the envy of the nation. These cuts in college programs and increases in fees are creating an ever-higher barrier to a quality education at exactly the moment when we should be investing in this proven economic engine.  

The numbers speak for themselves.  For every dollar invested in higher education, California nets $3 in return. Investing in higher education is the smartest choice California can, and should, make right now to jumpstart our economy.  

For months, students – as well as faculty and community leaders – have been marching and holding rallies to make their voices heard. On March 22, nearly 5,000 students from San Diego to Sonoma marched to the Capitol steps in Sacramento, demanding solutions to save higher education.  

One of the most immediate and important solutions is AB 656.  

My bill, AB 656: Fair Share for Fair Tuition, is a simple and fair solution to funding higher education. A 12.5% severance fee on Big Oil will raise $2 billion a year for California’s colleges and universities.  

Thanks to the grassroots and netroots, AB 656 is more than just a bill; it’s a movement.  

75,000 Californians have already signed support cards, nearly reaching our goal of 100,000 – making Fair Share for Fair Tuition one of the most successful grassroots efforts in California’s legislative history. Tens of thousands more have joined us online, with nearly 12,000 supporters on Facebook alone.  

By using the powerful tools of online communities, we continue to organize this movement, to build more support and to share personal stories about the effects of the budget cuts.  

One of the most personal wall posts on Facebook came from Maureen Feller who wrote:  

My son is dropping out of college after the spring semester. As a freshman this year, with all the budget cuts, we can honestly say the whole experience has been a nightmare. How sad is it that we no longer invest in our youth?  

Maureen’s experience is, unfortunately, shared by too many others throughout California.  

The battle to save higher education can be won if we work together, stand together and fight together. And online tools like Facebook are helping disparate supporters throughout California to unite, in solidarity, to save higher education. A closed mouth goes unfed, and it’s time our collective voices speak louder than ever.  

Today, April 6, we are holding a rally in Los Angeles where students, faculty, members of the community and elected leaders will unite to bring our message to Big Oil – pay a fair share for fair tuition. Reid Milburn, President of the Student Senate for California Community Colleges, and other community leaders will speak on education as the key to California’s future. Learn more about our past rallies across the state at AlbertoTorrico.com/CampaignTrail.  

Help us reach our goal of 100,000 supporters and activate your friends and family to get involved too. Join the movement on Facebook.com/FairTuition and sign our petition at AlbertoTorrico.com/TakeAction.    

ALBERTO TORRICO (D-Fremont) is the bill-author for AB 656: Fair Share for Fair Tuition and is a candidate for Attorney General.

Uncategorized

Fighting for Higher Education and the Future of California

For the first time in California’s history, our state government spent more money on prisons than higher education.

It’s a shocking figure – but not a surprising one when you consider that it now costs more to send a criminal to prison than a student to Harvard. Because we are now spending so much on failed prisons, we can’t invest sufficient funds to create affordable colleges and universities.

Tuition at our public universities has skyrocketed as much as 30% nationwide – just as students are forced to endure budget cuts, slashed enrollment, impossible waitlists and reduced course offerings.

My own parents worked as janitors their whole lives so that I could be the first in my family to go to college. I know firsthand that the true spirit of California opportunity and optimism is nurtured in great schools, not failed prisons.

That is why I am fighting to fund California colleges and universities by requiring Big Oil to pay their fair share for the oil they pump out of our state’s land and water. California can no longer afford to be the only major oil-producing state that doesn’t levy such a fee. Texas, for instance, generates $400 million for higher education through a similar fee.

My bill, AB 656, would raise up to $2 billion a year for the UC, CSU and community colleges with a 12.5 percent tax on oil extracted within California. That’s considerably less than the 25-percent tax levied in Sarah Palin’s Alaska.  

The oil companies will tell you that they already pay enough taxes and that this bill will result in jobs lost. Yet oil companies have been experiencing record breaking profits for the past several years.  Exxon Mobile, for instance, raked in a $45.2 billion profit in 2008, the most ever by a publicly-traded U.S. company.  

More money for higher education means more classes and more financial aid for more students.

Making sure students receive a quality education is the key to our future and to public safety. A quality education grants people invaluable tools to succeed. With 60% of inmates functionally illiterate, education is the best strategy to rehabilitate criminals and to empower people with the tools to succeed.

The fight to save higher education won’t be easy. And AB 656 is a simple and fair solution to funding our universities and colleges in California. Please join me and thousands of other concerned Californians in fighting for higher education at www.facebook.com/FairTuition, and sign the petition here: www.AlbertoTorrico.com/Fair-Share-for-Fair-Tuition.