Infrequently Asked Questions

At the special Legislative Assembly meeting scheduled for later today, the agenda* contains various documents which raise questions about consultation with the Senate on various matters including the campus budget.

Here are some budget-related issues yours truly hopes will be raised. 

UCLA spent $80 million to buy the campus of a defunct Catholic college on Palos Verdes, ostensibly to deal with enrollment pressures. But Palos Verdes is far from Westwood and is difficult to access by public transportation. It is also subject to well-publicized ground instability not far from the UCLA purchase. What kind of consultation with the Senate occurred before this expenditure? What is the cost of maintaining the site while someone figures out what uses it might serve? 

UCLA purchased the Westside Pavilion for a research facility at a cost of $700 million. Is the projected revenue to support this site in any way jeopardized by the conflict with federal authorities over research funding? If there is some jeopardy, what are the budget contingency plans? Was the Senate consulted about the original purchase or the contingency plans?

UCLA has made various hospital purchases in recent times. Are these purchases in any way jeopardized by the current conflict with federal authorities? Might Medicare or Medi-Cal (Medicaid) funding be affected by the conflict? If so, what contingent budget plans are being made? Was the Senate consulted about the purchases or the contingency plans?

UCLA athletics is being affected by the national evolution of college sports to a more professional commercial model, thanks in part to court decisions related to payments to student athletes. UCLA recently changed athletic conferences, angering the governor, provoking Regental actions, and leading to a de facto tax on UCLA being paid to UC-Berkeley. Is the Senate being consulted about potential pressures on the campus budget related to these developments? Is the Senate involved in contingency planning should projected revenues from college sports fall short of estimates?

UCLA produces annual budget figures and reports having an annual budget of around $11 billion. But the latest published annual budget report on the web covers fiscal year 2022-23. We are now in 2025-26. Planning for 2026-27 surely will begin soon. Does the Senate have access to up-to-date budget data so that it can offer its views on fiscal matters on a timely basis?

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These questions get into sensitive areas. As this excerpt from a Sept. 8th letter from EVC Hunt contained in the agenda suggests, the administration may prefer not to answer: [underline added] 

Agenda at https://dms.senate.ucla.edu/~councils.and.committees/?LgA.meetings.