Before we get all-a-twitter about this issue, maybe the question for the governor is whether there is a problem

Another bill related to higher ed seems to be going to Governor Brown's desk.  Not clear that section 2(a) is compatible with 2(c). The bill apparently was triggered by reports that some employers were requiring job applicants to hand over their Facebook, Twitter, etc., passwords. But this bill, unlike another in the legislature, refers to universities, not employers. Is it really addressing a known problem?  Even if it is, maybe the governor needs to send this one back for more work; blanket prohibitions can lead to unforeseen difficulties down the road.

Last year, Brown vetoed an unrelated bill saying "not every human problem deserves a law."

BILL NUMBER: SB 1349
PASSED THE SENATE  AUGUST 21, 2012
PASSED THE ASSEMBLY  AUGUST 16, 2012

An act to add Chapter 2.5 (commencing with Section 99120) to Part 65 of Division 14 of Title 3 of the Education Code, relating to
social media privacy.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

Social media privacy: postsecondary education. Existing law establishes and sets forth the missions and functions of the public and independent institutions of postsecondary education in the state. This bill would prohibit public and private postsecondary educational institutions, and their employees and representatives, from requiring or requesting a student, prospective student, or student group to disclose, access, or divulge personal social media, as defined, information, as specified. The bill would prohibit a public or private postsecondary educational institution from threatening a student, prospective student, or student group with or taking specified pecuniary actions for refusing to comply with a request or demand that violates that prohibition. The bill would require a private nonprofit or for-profit postsecondary educational institution to post its social media privacy policy on the institution's Internet Web site.

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

SECTION 1.  The Legislature finds and declares that quickly evolving technologies and social media services and Internet Web sites create new challenges when seeking to protect the privacy rights of students at California's postsecondary educational institutions. It is the intent of the Legislature to protect those rights and provide students with an opportunity for redress if their rights are violated. It is also the intent of the Legislature that public postsecondary educational institutions match compliance and reporting requirements for private nonprofit and for-profit postsecondary educational institutions imposed by this act.

SEC. 2.  Chapter 2.5 (commencing with Section 99120) is added to Part 65 of Division 14 of Title 3 of the Education Code, to read:

CHAPTER 2.5.  SOCIAL MEDIA PRIVACY

99120.  As used in this chapter, "social media" means an electronic service or account, or electronic content, including, but not limited to, videos or still photographs, blogs, video blogs, podcasts, instant and text messages, email, online services or accounts, or Internet Web site profiles or locations.
99121. (a) Public and private postsecondary educational institutions, and their employees and representatives, shall not require or request a student, prospective student, or student group to do any of the following:
(1) Disclose a user name or password for accessing personal social media.
(2) Access personal social media in the presence of the institution's employee or representative.
(3) Divulge any personal social media information.
(b) A public or private postsecondary educational institution shall not suspend, expel, discipline, threaten to take any of those actions, or otherwise penalize a student, prospective student, or student group in any way for refusing to comply with a request or demand that violates this section.
(c) This section shall not do either of the following:
(1) Affect a public or private postsecondary educational institution's existing rights and obligations to protect against and investigate alleged student misconduct or violations of applicable laws and regulations.
(2) Prohibit a public or private postsecondary educational institution from taking any adverse action against a student, prospective student, or student group for any lawful reason.
99122.  A private nonprofit or for-profit postsecondary educational institution shall post its social media privacy policy on the institution's Internet Web site.

Source: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/11-12/bill/sen/sb_1301-1350/sb_1349_bill_20120822_enrolled.html

Is this bill a necessity?

Will He Sign It?

State lawmakers have approved first-in-the-nation legislation requiring California universities with the most high-profile sports programs to provide financial protections for student athletes who suffer career-ending injuries...

SB1525 would apply to universities that receive more than $10 million annually in sports media revenue. The bill by Sen. Alex Padilla, a Democrat from Los Angeles, would apply this year to the University of Southern California, UCLA, Berkeley and Stanford University...

Full article at http://www.sacbee.com/2012/08/22/4749123/bill-would-help-injured-student.html

Money Race on Governor's Initiative

In a posting yesterday, we noted that the opponents of the governor's tax initiative (Prop 30) have begun campaigning with radio "issue" ads.

It appears, however, that in the race to raise money for the election campaign, a lot more has been raised to support the initiative than to oppose it.  There were concerns that the "paycheck protection" initiative (Prop 32) - which also is on the ballot in November - would divert union funds away from from the governor's campaign.  (Prop 32 would ban union payroll dues deductions from being used for political purposes.)  Indeed, much funding has gone into opposing Prop 32 so there may be some diversion.  But the governor still has a comfortable money margin at this point.  See the two charts below on the two initiatives:

The Regents have endorsed Prop 30.

You can follow the money race for these initiatives and other propositions and candidates on the ballot at
http://www.rhughes.com/dollardollarbill/

Good News/Bad News

The good news is that reading this blog every day will keep you informed about UCLA and UC concerns.

The bad news, according to our friends down the road in Santa Monica at the Milken Institute, is that it can make you fat:
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Waistlines of the World: The Effect of Information and Communications Technology on Obesity

Summary:

Information and communications technologies have improved living standards around the world. But the increased amount of time that people devote to using computers, watching TV and playing video games- so-called "screen time" -is a significant factor in the global rise of obesity.

In Waistlines of the World: the Effect of Information and Communications Technology on Obesity,Institute researchers establish a direct connection between spikes in technology adoption and subsequent increases in obesity rates. The report charts the dramatic rise in obesity in 27 OECD countries.

The human and economic cost for the increasing weight of the world is high. Obesity in particular, and being overweight in general , are triggers for disability and many chronic diseases, with obesity being the fifth leading cause of death worldwide. In the United States, the medical-cost burden due to obesity climbed to 9.1 percent of annual medical spending in 2006, from 6.5 percent in 1998.

The causes for the obesity bulge are various, but the Milken Institute researchers chart the effect that the worldwide transition toward an information-based economy has had on work habits and lifestyle.

The good news? The study also found that in countries with high ICT investment rates, a 1 percent increase in the number of physically active people can prevent a 0.2 percent rise in obesity. The report makes recommendations for strategic solutions, and provides information about a number of programs and policies that governments, corporations, and non-profit groups around the world have pioneered to keep obesity in check.

Download the paper at

http://www.milkeninstitute.org/pdf/Waistlines-of-the-World.pdf

(But maybe you should print it out rather than read it online.)

A summer reading suggestion

Perhaps you would like to read about the impact of the state budget crisis on public higher ed in California.  Below are two charts from a recent PPIC study, a link to which is provided at the bottom of this posting.

You can find the full report entitled "Defunding Higher Education" at:
http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/report/R_512HJR.pdf

Is Catch-Up the Strategy on the Tax Initiative?

The opponents of the governor's tax initiative are already on the radio advertising.  Although the governor's campaign for his tax initiative is in principle in motion, the media advertising has yet to begin.  As readers of this blog will know, the Regents have endorsed the governor's initiative.

When Jerry Brown ran for governor in 2010, he also was slow to get going against Meg Whitman.  However, he did win with a concentrated blitz toward the end.  Possibly, that is the strategy now.  It is unclear how much funding opponents will have for full-fledged media campaign as the November election nears.  But you can hear their ad - technically a general purpose "issues" ad - at the link below:

Another Little 405 Inconvenience for UCLA Nightbirds

We're too late to give you the Monday night warning but the action (inaction?) repeats tonight:

Full closure of all I-405 northbound lanes (between the Montana Avenue and Moraga Drive), Sunset Boulevard (between Barrington Avenue and Veteran Avenue) and Church Lane (between Sepulveda Boulevard and Kiel Street) on the night of Monday, August 20th / morning of Tuesday, August 21st. All Sunset on/off-ramps (with the exception of the SB I-405 off-ramp) will be closed, as well. 

Where: I-405 and Sunset Boulevard 

When: NB freeway will be closed from midnight until 5am on Tuesday morning. Sunset Boulevard, Church Lane and freeway ramps will be closed from 10pm (on Monday) until 6am (on Tuesday). 

Mitigation: NB freeway traffic will be detoured from the freeway at Montana to NB Sepulveda to Moraga, where it will again enter the freeway. WB Sunset traffic will be detoured to SB Veteran to WB Wilshire to NB Barrington to WB Sunset. EB Sunset traffic will be detoured SB Barrington to EB Wilshire to NB Veteran to EB Sunset. Local access will be maintained on Sunset and Church.