SACRAMENTO - Thousands of community college students marched Monday to the state Capitol to protest proposed fee hikes they said would put higher education out of reach for many Californians.

Rallying to chants of "keep the doors open," more than 5,000 students and their supporters called on legislators to dump Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's recommended boost of per-unit fees from $18 to $26. The governor's move would generate an estimated $91 million.

While many leading Democrats, from Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles, to Treasurer Phil Angelides, endorsed the students' message, administration officials defended the fee increases as "modest" given the large deficit. California will go $17 billion in the hole by July 2005 if policymakers fail to increase revenue or cut spending, says the nonpartisan state Legislative Analyst Elizabeth Hill.

Under Schwarzenegger's plan, the budget for California's 109 community colleges would rise by $415 million, or 9 percent, from the current year. The governor also recommends raising the number of student-fee waivers to 400,000, an increase of more than 12,000.

"In terms of financial hardship, the neediest aren't going to be denied an education because they can't afford the fees," said H.D. Palmer, an administration spokesman.

Before California's fiscal year begins July 1, lawmakers must devise a spending plan that can win support from two-thirds of each house of the Legislature. The arduous process takes months and frequently results in a late budget.

Some students who participated in Monday's rally said the higher fees would force them to work more hours, cut back on classes and ultimately delay their progress toward a degree.

Jeff Chou, an 18-year-old form Daly City who attends the Community College of San Mateo, said he would have to spend more time each week as a Pizza Hut restaurant cashier and less in class to cover the higher costs.

"More students are going to be on the streets with these raises," Chou said. "I'm pretty sure there's something else he (Schwarzenegger) could cut besides schools."

David Scott, a 36-year-old shoe salesman attending the City College of San Francisco, said the new fees would slow his headway toward a teaching degree. "Opportunity is being crushed," he said.

It was the second straight year that a coalition of community college student groups organized a march to the west steps of the Capitol to draw the attention of lawmakers deliberating over budget cuts. Many of those who walked up Capitol Mall carried signs or banners, shouted chants, cheered the calls blared from megaphones or gyrated to the rhythm of drums and whistles.

Pictures of Schwarzenegger figured prominently, with one sign saying "Don't terminate community colleges." Another movie reference read: "Don't give us true lies."

Angelides, one the governor's leading critics who is expected to run for the office himself in 2006, drew cheers when he criticized Schwarzenegger for increasing community college tuition by 44 percent but failing to close tax loopholes for the rich.

"His proposals are wrong for California, they're wrong for your future, they're wrong for our economy," Angelides said.