Budget Negotiations: Still Behind Closed Doors

As we have noted in past postings on the state budget, although the legislature passed a "budget" to meet constitutional rules, there are still negotiations going on between the governor and Democratic legislative leaders concerning details behind closed doors. There appeared to be a somewhat larger allocation for UC in the legislative version of the budget than was contained in the governor's May Revise. 

However, when the legislature passed its version of the budget on June 15 (the deadline), UC president Drake put out the statement below as if it were the final, agreed upon produce:

University of California President Michael V. Drake, M.D., today (June 15) issued the following statement on California’s 2023-24 budget:

With passage of California’s fiscal year budget, the state Legislature has demonstrated its strong support for the University of California and our shared priorities. We are deeply grateful to Governor Newsom and the legislature for this support — especially during a fiscally challenging time. We believe this budget reflects their belief in the University of California’s role as a driver of economic innovation and social mobility.

The funding provided will allow the University to continue expanding opportunities for more California students to attend the University of California, while also ensuring that our campuses can make the investments necessary to support that growth. In addition to the hiring of more faculty and academic support staff, this stable funding provides locations with greater resources for long-term projects that expand on-campus student resources.

We are grateful to Gov. Newsom and to the Legislature for their continued collaboration and commitment to the University of California. In addition to funding for increased enrollment growth for our system, this budget provides millions of dollars for University of California Health so that we may continue supporting the health care needs of communities throughout the state and researching cures to deadly diseases.

Under the five-year funding compact between the governor and the University, with the Legislature’s ongoing support, the University will continue educating the next generation of leaders, producing cutting-edge research for the benefit of our communities, and delivering high quality health care to Californians. We look forward to continuing to partner with state leaders to ensure that our University continues to be a world-class institution of higher education helping to drive California’s economy for generations to come.  

Source: https://universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/uc-statement-2023-24-california-budget.

One interpretation of this statement is that the UC portion of the budget - the legislative version - was a done deal. Whether Drake knows that to be a fact is the question. An alternative interpretation is that the statement is just nice words. We may not know for sure until June 30 - or maybe later.