Showing posts with label governor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label governor. Show all posts

Saturday, October 10, 2026

Where the money is

From the Daily Californian of 10-6-2026: Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two bills at a quantum lab at UC Berkeley on Sept. 30 to accelerate the development of fusion energy in California... “UC is poised to lead in quantum and fusion energy research,” said UC Office of the President spokesperson Omar Rodriguez in an email. “This statewide investment will keep California at the forefront of this field by growing California’s future workforce, accelerating scientific discovery and advancing clean energy.” 

According to an email from the CEC [California Energy Commission], UC Berkeley was chosen as the place of signing due to its status as the lead university for the National Science Foundation Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Quantum Computation, a multi-institutional research center spanning universities across the state. The NSF just renewed its support for the NSF CIQC with $37.5 million in funding over the next five years to further quantum research...

Full story at https://www.dailycal.org/news/campus/newsom-signs-legislation-at-uc-berkeley-to-accelerate-fusion-energy-grants-30m-for-quantum-research/article_9c0a8e0c-1793-4d8e-bb72-8a6f1a0351a1.html.

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President Trump Executive Order 14413

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:

Section 1.  Purpose.  America stands at the cusp of a quantum revolution.  Quantum information science and technology (QIST) will provide transformational capabilities that will drive American innovation, power economic growth, generate high-paying jobs, and bolster national security.  In 2018, I laid the foundation for United States leadership in QIST by signing into law the National Quantum Initiative Act and doubling Federal investment in QIST research and development.  Today, as other nations move quickly to challenge American leadership, the United States must take a cohesive, whole-of-government approach to accelerate deployment and commercialization of quantum computing, sensing, and networking.

In addition to continuing trailblazing quantum research, we must act to solidify the Nation’s position as the world’s QIST superpower and deliver the commercial and research benefits of quantum innovation to the American people.  Equally important, we must protect sensitive technologies and work with allies to ensure adversaries cannot use QIST to undermine national security.

Sec. 2.  Policy.  It is the policy of my Administration to ensure that the United States maintains a strategic technical advantage in QIST and leads the development of a robust and trusted quantum ecosystem across QIST research, manufacturing, commercialization, and application...

Full text at https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/06/ushering-in-the-next-frontier-of-quantum-innovation/. 

Wednesday, October 7, 2026

Newsom in the 3rd Quarter

 


As blog readers may know, we keep track of Gov. Newsom's activities, particularly his not-a-campaign for president, on a regular basis, combined with other related political events. He doesn't pay much attention  to UC, except mentioning it in extolling the California economy. Unless there is some highly unlikely event, Xavier Becerra will be the next governor. However, he will be coming in to office in January facing a constitutional requirement to present a budget. Much of the legwork will, of necessity, have been done in the next few months by Newsom's Dept. of Finance group. In any case, our Newsom & related files on the Internet Archive for July-September can be seen at:

https://archive.org/details/newsom-7-1-2026-savings-accounts-for-kids.

Sunday, October 4, 2026

Vetoed


From Politico: Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a measure... that would have required the California State University to compile annual reports on students who violate campus protest rules... [It requested UC to do he same.]

Key context: Originally, AB 2551 would have repealed a 2024 law that was signed in the wake of student-led protests against Israel’s war against Hamas to establish restrictions on campus protests. The law, SB 1287, required universities to update their codes of conduct to address behavior that “creates a hostile environment for students” and instruct students on how to engage in civil exchanges.

...A number of Jewish organizations opposed the final version of Elhawary’s bill, citing concerns that it was a first step in an effort to repeal the protest rules. The measure was backed by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the California Faculty Association and the University of California Student Association, who argue that the current protest rules have chilled speech...

Full story at https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2026/09/newsom-vetoes-measure-that-would-collect-campus-protest-data-01093919.

Text of vetoed bill at:

https://ia600402.us.archive.org/9/items/2-final-hjaa-report.-the-soil-beneath-the-encampments/AB%202551%20TEXT%20forum%20to%20discuss%20TPM%20rules%20vetoed%209-27-2026.pdf.

Veto message from governor at:

https://ia600402.us.archive.org/9/items/2-final-hjaa-report.-the-soil-beneath-the-encampments/AB-2551%20VETO%20forum%20to%20discuss%20TPM%20rules%209-27-2026.pdf. 

Saturday, October 3, 2026

Something Missing?


The Wayback Machine of the Internet Archive allows views of internet pages as they were at selected dates in the past. At some point after July 10, 2026, the January 2027 Regents meeting that would have been at UCLA disappeared. It went missing. See the July image of the schedule on the left below and the current image on the right. The result is a four-month gap between regularly scheduled meetings rather than the normal two. And no meeting at UCLA until May 2027. Seems like a lot of things are likely to be happening in that interval. At the state level, a new governor will be taking office in January. At the federal level, there may be changes in which party has the majority in the House and/or in the Senate.

Just saying...

Left: https://web.archive.org/web/20260710082420/https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/meetings/

Right: https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/meetings/ 

Eventual Bond

Note: The bond described below for the March 2028 ballot is different from the Prop 38 bond on the upcoming November 2026 ballot.

From the Daily Bruin: ...Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 895, a $7.5 billion bond measure that would fund science and health research at California universities and other institutions, on Wednesday. If approved, the bill would create the California Foundation for Science and Health Research and Innovation Acceleration Fund, which would distribute grants and loans to scientific research and development projects across the state. The foundation would fund projects spanning biomedicine, wildfire resilience, climate and environmental sciences and technology. The measure would also allocate $1 billion to maintain and repair UC and California State University research facilities...

Full story at https://dailybruin.com/2026/09/30/newsom-signs-uc-backed-7-5-billion-research-bond-measure-for-2028-ballot. 

Tuesday, September 22, 2026

Bye Bye Master Plan


Whatever the details, the Master Plan for Higher Education is fast disappearing:

From the LA Times: California community colleges will be able to offer bachelor’s degrees that duplicate programs at California State University and University of California schools... under legislation approved [last] Friday by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The pair of bills scraps the state’s ban on community colleges offering any bachelor’s degree already available at CSU or UC, and replaces it with a system built around regional workforce needs and a district college’s performance. They cleared the legislature earlier this month after CSU and UC withdrew objections... The laws will take effect Jan. 1, 2028.

Chancellor Sonya Christian, who leads the community college system, had come out against the two related bills in the final days of the session. She said the versions lawmakers passed — and Newsom has approved — could create “more barriers” than currently exist for community colleges moving to provide new degree programs...

Full story at https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-09-18/california-community-college-bachelors-degrees-newsom-law. 

Monday, September 21, 2026

Veto

From CalMatters: California college students without legal immigration status still cannot work at public colleges and universities after Gov. Gavin Newsom again vetoed a bill Sunday that would have given them that right. Assembly Bill 713 would have adopted an untested legal theory that argues that a 1986 federal law barring employers from hiring workers in the country without authorization doesn’t apply to state governments. The logic? That 40-year-old law doesn’t mention state governments as a type of employer that cannot hire workers without proper status.

But for the second time in three years, Newsom decided that adopting that theory for California would expose the state’s higher-education system to the wrath of the federal government...

Full story at https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2026/09/newsom-veto-students-wtihout-legal-status/.

As we have pointed out previously, the bill did not in fact impose a mandate on UC, unlike CSU and the community colleges. It left the ultimate decision to the Regents:

This article shall apply to the University of California, unless it is found to be inapplicable to the university, then, consistent with Section 67400, this article shall apply to the university only to the extent that the Regents of the University of California, by appropriate resolution, make it applicable.

See https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB713/id/3191073.

News accounts tend to omit this fact. Presumably, it was included in the bill because of the constitutional autonomy of the Regents.

Tuesday, September 15, 2026

Does UC want something from the governor?

 

Two things are clear:

1) Gov. Newsom is termed out.

2) Gov. Newsom is running for president. See:

https://ia902809.us.archive.org/1/items/newsom-7-1-2026-savings-accounts-for-kids/newsom%209-8-2026%20PBS%20segment.mp4

He says maybe he will/maybe he won't. But if it campaigns like a duck...

https://ia902809.us.archive.org/1/items/newsom-7-1-2026-savings-accounts-for-kids/newsom%209-8-2026%20full%20PBS%20interview.mp4

The next state budget will be proposed by the next governor, presumably Xavier Becerra. So Newsom can't deliver anything dramatic there (although his Dept. of Finance - given the timing - will put together at least the skeleton of the January proposal the next governor will present). But to the extent there is anything the governor can do for UC, the question is whether UC has something it can do for him that would help his campaign?

Tuesday, September 8, 2026

Ad Hoc or Master Plan - Thanks, but no thanks


Assemblymember Dorothy M. Donahoe
who pushed the 1960 Master Plan through the 
Legislature (Donahoe Act)
 but died before it was signed.

We have been noting the erosion of the old Master Plan and the substitution of ad hoc legislative enactments, essentially at the behest of the community colleges. It seems the community colleges got the bills they wanted through the legislature and now that they are sitting on the governor's desk, they don't like what they got. From CalMatters:

California’s community colleges have been trying for several years to offer more bachelor’s degrees. This year, they put their hopes in two sweeping bills designed to help them do that. But lawmakers made massive, last-minute changes that prompted the state’s community colleges to now oppose the legislation. The abrupt change of heart, spurred by new limits on how much the colleges could grow their bachelor’s programs, didn’t influence the outcomes of the bills, Senate Bill 960 by Sen. Christopher Cabaldon, a Democrat from Napa, and Assembly Bill 2694 by David Alvarez, also a Democrat from Chula Vista. Both passed...

Colleges would be able to offer an additional two to 12 bachelor’s degrees starting in 2028 depending on their students’ certificate, degree and transfer completion rates. No college district could propose more than three new degrees per year and districts would need to prove that there’s a workforce need in their region to justify the creation of a bachelor’s degree. That’s a claim the state’s labor secretary would step in to validate if the California State University system objects, as has regularly occurred in the pitched policy disputes between the community colleges and the university...

“We’re being asked to … support a process that is not completely understood or vetted at the last minute, and so that’s just not great policymaking,” said Larry Galizio, president and CEO of the Community College League of California, an association representing community college presidents and board leaders...

Full story at https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2026/09/community-college-bachelors-degrees-california/. 

Monday, September 7, 2026

Ad Hoc or Master Plan


Assemblymember Dorothy M. Donahoe
who pushed the 1960 Master Plan through the 
Legislature (Donahoe Act)
 but died before it was signed.

In an earlier post (Aug. 26), we noted that bills were moving through the legislature that would enhance the ability of community colleges to offer 4-year degrees. And we called for a new Master Plan process rather than ad hoc policy from the legislature. The bills are now on the governor's desk. Whether he will sign or veto is unknown. The immediate issue regarding community colleges is more a concern for CSU than UC. But the absence of a Master Plan is a long run concern for UC.

From the LA Times: ...Newsom has not signaled his view. He has rejected previous attempts since 2024 to let community colleges grant nursing bachelor’s degrees, when he warned such moves could cause conflict among the state’s three higher education systems...

Full story at https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-09-01/california-community-college-bachelors-degrees-newsom-bills. 

Sunday, September 6, 2026

Less than meets the eye - Part 2


Undoubtedly, there will be public comment on AB 713 now on the governor's desk for signature or veto at the September Regents meeting (unless he vetoes it before the meeting). As we have noted previously (see Aug. 13 on this blog), the bill actually leaves the decision on whether UC can hire undocumented students to the Regents. It is a mandate for CSU and the community colleges but permissive for UC. 

From CalMatters: Is this the year that Gov. Gavin Newsom allows students without legal status to legally work at California’s public colleges and universities? A state bill with wide support from Democrats but opposed by Republicans seeks to do just that by adopting an untested legal theory that argues a 1980s federal law banning employment for people without legal status doesn’t apply to state agencies. But university leaders and Newsom worry that acting on the theory could put the state on another collision course with the Trump administration.

The bill easily cleared the Legislature Friday, including a yes vote from one Republican. The bill now heads to Newsom’s desk. Assembly Bill 713 by Assemblymember José Luis Solache, a Democrat from Lakewood, is seemingly straightforward: The University of California, California State University and community colleges cannot disqualify students without legal status from campus employment. If it becomes law, it would kick in Jan. 6...

Full story at https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2026/08/students-without-legal-status-california/.

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Bill at https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB713/id/3191073. "This article shall apply to the University of California, unless it is found to be inapplicable to the university, then, consistent with Section 67400, this article shall apply to the university only to the extent that the Regents of the University of California, by appropriate resolution, make it applicable." 

Sunday, August 30, 2026

Bond - Part 3


UCOP News Release: UC Nobel Prize winners back $7.5 billion proposed investment in California research

UC Office of the President, August 28, 2026

University of California Nobel laureates Dr. Jennifer Doudna and Dr. Randy Schekman released the statements below following a deal announced today on UC-sponsored SB 895, authored by state Senator Scott Wiener. The bill would place a measure on the March 2028 state ballot to provide $7.5 billion for cutting-edge research addressing some of California’s most pressing health, environmental and technological challenges.

“California built the world’s most successful system of research universities,” said Jennifer Doudna, Ph.D., a UC Berkeley biochemist, Nobel laureate, and founder of the Innovative Genomics Institute. “SB 895 represents an important investment in the research infrastructure that will allow California to continue advancing scientific breakthroughs, improving lives, and driving innovation and growth for generations. We are grateful to Governor Newsom, Senator Wiener, and the legislature for their support of this important issue.”

“California’s strength and ingenuity depends on its ability to turn bold ideas into solutions to our most pressing problems,” said Randy Schekman, Ph.D., UC Berkeley professor of molecular and cell biology and Nobel laureate. “That’s why we need to invest in research and continue building on our nation-leading enterprise at UC. SB 895 will help protect the people and discoveries that drive billions of dollars in economic activity and improve lives across our state, and I thank Governor Newsom, Senator Wiener, and the entire legislature for leading the way on these efforts.”

Source: https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/uc-nobel-prize-winners-back-proposed-investment-california-research.

For the record, Wiener is running to replace Nancy Pelosi in Congress as she retires from her San Francisco district. She, however, has endorsed another candidate. Newsom is running for you-know-what. 

Friday, August 28, 2026

Bond - Part 2 (deadline for '28)

We noted back on August 17th that a $5 billion research bond backed by UC was passed by a state senate committee. While it is too late for that bond to appear on the upcoming November 2026 ballot, if enacted by the full senate by August 31st and then signed by the governor, it could appear in 2028. If not passed by August 31, the complete legislative process would have to be repeated.

Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Less than meets the eye

On Aug. 13, the state senate Appropriations Committee passed AB 713 which has as its goal the hiring by UC of undocumented students. The Regents originally were moving to allow such hiring but halted the effort after the UC general counsel opined that it would violate federal law. Note that when you read the actual provisions of AB 713, it still leaves the decision to the Regents. (There is no such exemption in AB 713 for CSU or the community colleges.) The bill still needs the approval of the full state senate and the governor's signature.

See the full text of the bill below:

Text of AB 713 - AB-713 Public postsecondary education: student employment

Article  3.8. Employment

66029. (a) The University of California, California State University, or California Community Colleges shall not disqualify a student from being hired for an employment position due to their failure to provide proof of federal work authorization, except in either of the following cases:

(1) Where that proof is required by federal law.

(2) Where that proof is required as a condition of a grant that funds the particular employment position for which the student has applied.

(b) The University of California, the California State University, and the California Community Colleges shall treat the prohibition on hiring undocumented noncitizens in Section 1324a(a) of Title 8 of the United States Code as inapplicable because that provision does not apply to any branch of state government.

(c) To the extent student employment is considered a “benefit” for purposes of federal law, this statute shall constitute authorization to provide that benefit for purposes of Section 1621(d) of Title 8 of the United States Code.

(d) The University of California, the California State University, and the California Community Colleges shall implement this article by January 6, 2027.

(e) This article shall apply to the University of California, unless it is found to be inapplicable to the university, then, consistent with Section 67400, this article shall apply to the university only to the extent that the Regents of the University of California, by appropriate resolution, make it applicable.

SEC. 2. If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.

Source: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB713. 

Monday, August 17, 2026

Hitting the Target


In the recent past, we have gotten used to state revenue forecasts falling below actual results due to unanticipated capital gains in personal income tax receipts from AI. We now have one month's cash report for July - the first month of the current fiscal year. Revenues were a bit ahead of the forecast made when the state budget was enacted last June. But the overage is not from income taxes which fell a bit short of forecast estimates. Corporation taxes were the main source of the overage. And the sales tax ran a bit ahead of forecast values, and by more than pure inflation would suggest compared to the same time last year. So the general economy, as opposed to the world of finance, seems to be doing OK.

It's only one month, of course, but if this becomes a trend, it would mean no unpleasant surprises from the state for UC while the governor finishes out his term, i.e., until January. (There is always room for federal surprises, however.)

The July 2026 controller's cash report is at:

https://www.sco.ca.gov/Files-ARD/CASH/July2026StatementofGeneralFundCashReceiptsandDisbursements.pdf. 

Friday, July 24, 2026

New Regent

Governor Newsom announces appointments 7.22.2026 [Excerpt]

...Scott Galloway, of Gulf Stream, Florida, has been appointed to the University of California Board of Regents. Galloway founded Section in 2019 and has served on the faculty of NYU Stern School of Business since 2002. Galloway was the Founder and Chairman at L2 from 2010 to 2019. He was the Founder of Red Envelope, where he held multiple positions from 1997 to 2008, including Chairman and Director. Galloway was the Founder of Prophet Brand Strategy, where he held several positions from 1992 to 2002, including Chairman and CEO. He served as a Member of the Board of Directors for the New York Times Co., a Board Member of Urban Outfitters, a Board Member of Panera Bread, and a Board Member of Berkeley Haas. He earned a Master of Business Administration degree from University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from University of California, Los Angeles. This position requires Senate confirmation, and there is no compensation. Galloway is a Democrat...

Source: https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/07/22/governor-newsom-announces-appointments-7-22-2026/.

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From Politico: ...Galloway, a Democrat, has written prominently about issues of loneliness and isolation facing young men, which Newsom, a likely presidential contender, has sounded the alarm about. The governor last year signed an executive order aimed at addressing a rise in suicide rates and disconnection among young men and boys in the state. A professor of marketing at NYU, Galloway has founded several companies in the consulting and digital research fields, and served on the board of directors for Urban Outfitters, Panera Bread and The New York Times.

Galloway has been somewhat critical of higher education, arguing on a Chronicle of Higher Education podcast in March that some elite universities are making a “concerted effort to sequester supply” by hiking tuition and artificially keeping enrollment low, suggesting that such schools should lose their tax-exempt status. But he praised the UC as one of the systems “doing God’s work” to expand access by expanding first-year class sizes and summer and night classes.

Galloway, who lives in Florida, received his bachelor’s degree in economics from UCLA and an MBA from UC Berkeley. He has given to both schools — $12 million for students pursuing non-traditional pathways and $4.4 million to UC Berkeley for a fellowship for students from immigrant families.

Full story at https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/22/newsom-appoints-podcaster-scott-galloway-uc-board-regents-01008165.

From Wikipedia: Galloway was born in San Diego and grew up in Los Angeles, California. His father was a Scottish immigrant to the United States who worked as a sales executive. His mother, a Jewish immigrant from London, England, worked as a secretary... Galloway teaches brand management and digital marketing to second-year MBA students. Much of his research concerns big tech, including Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Apple, which he refers to as "The Four" or "the Four Horsemen". His first book, The Four: The Hidden DNA of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google, was released in 2017 and analyzes the big four's peculiar strengths and strategies, novel aspects of their economic models, tactics of expansion, as well as resulting social and individual consequences.

In September 2018, Recode and the Vox Media launched Pivot, a weekly news commentary podcast co-hosted by Kara Swisher and Galloway. In February 2020, Galloway launched The Prof G Show, a weekly podcast answering listener questions on business, money, and technology. On September 28, 2021, CNN announced that Galloway would be a host on its CNN+ streaming platform, but the platform went off the air shortly after launching.

In 2022, Galloway's weekly newsletter No Mercy/No Malice won the Webby Award and Webby's People's Voice Award for best business, news and technology websites and mobile sites...

Full story at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Galloway_(professor).

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Galloway interviewed in The Free Press: ...I think Trump is president because of failing young men. If you look at the three groups that pivoted hardest from blue to red, 2020 to 2024, you start with Latinos and people under the age of 30. And the reality is, for the first time in our nation’s history, a 30-year-old isn’t doing as well as his or her parents were at 30. They’re 24 percent less wealthy than people under the age of 40 were 40 years ago. Meanwhile, my generation is 72 percent wealthier than we were 40 years ago. The majority of our economic policies are nothing but an elegant transfer of wealth from the young to the old. So they’re fed up, and all they know is they’re not doing well, so they just want change.

And then the third group, and the most interesting one, that pivoted hardest from blue to red, was 45- to 64-year-old women. And my thesis is that they’re mothers. A lot of women in the United States will vote for whoever they perceive is best for their husbands and their sons. And when your son is in the basement playing video games and vaping, you don’t give a shit about the territorial sovereignty of Ukraine. You just want change.

Struggling young men are always the fire that moves. People will come along, tell them their economic problems are the fault of immigrants, or that women’s ascent is responsible for their descent. Radical jihad has always leveraged failing young men, right? Fight for us and die, there’s 12 virgins waiting for you. ISIS took sex slaves and gave them to their soldiers as part of their military strategy.

The natural state of being is an unchecked economic system where you don’t redistribute capital. A small number of men are really talented, really fortunate, inherit wealth, and they get to engage in Porsche polygamy and have a disproportionate number of mating partners. And the bottom 90 percent of men have fewer and fewer. That rage or dissatisfaction can be channeled into unproductive means.

The greatest innovation in history wasn’t the iPhone or vaccines; it was the American middle class, and it wasn’t an accident. Seven million men returned from war in uniform. They were fit. We put a bunch of money in their pockets to make them economically viable, which made them more attractive to women. This led to huge household formation, a baby boom, productive, loving households. Then they brought non-whites and women into this prosperity through great social progress, great legislation. We decided to transfer opportunity and money back from the most fortunate into the American middle class, but that is not the natural state of being.

If you don’t figure out policies that create forward-leaning investments in technology and education and give young people a fighting chance, you’re just going to have an unstable society. You’re going to return to the natural order of a small number of people having all of the opportunities, which just creates instability. In some ways, I think we’re returning to what has typically been the natural order of economies for the last several thousand years...

Full interview at https://www.thefp.com/p/scott-galloway-on-the-mating-crisis.

Crossing Jonathan

From the LA Times : UCLA law student Jonathan Hale and about 150 volunteers have painted unauthorized crosswalks at dangerous Los Angeles in...