Re "Schwarzenegger, Colleges Reach Budget Compromise," May 11: Assemblyman Dario Frommer (D-Los Feliz) says that "university officials need to take a class in civics" in order to understand how the budget process works. But I would suggest that Frommer might want to reread the California state Constitution, which makes quite clear that it is the governor's responsibility to submit a proposed budget to the Legislature, upon which the Legislature acts and which then can be approved or vetoed by the governor (and possibly overridden by the Legislature).

Furthermore, "civics" may be insufficient to understand what is going on in Sacramento right now; "politics" might be a better description and, whether rightly or wrongly, university officials have cast their lot with the side they think can deliver the best deal.

Charles W. Gossett

San Dimas