Major Hurdle Cleared for UC/CSU Transparency Bill
California Chronicle 4/25/07
SB 190 will require all executive compensation packages to be voted on in an open session of a subcommittee and the full board. The bill will also require full disclosure of the compensation package with accompanying rationale, public comment on the specific action item, and closes a loophole that allows UC Regents and CSU Trustees on advisory groups to circumvent open meetings law.
“We need to end the culture of secrecy at the UC and CSU governing boards,” said Yee. “SB 190 will bring much needed sunshine to these discussions, provide members of the media the democratic access they deserve, and help restore the public’s trust.”
SB 190 comes after a series of audits, lawsuits and other revelations have found that the UC and the CSU failed to get public approval from the Regents or Trustees for compensation packages and that some top executives were paid more than what was released to the public.
Over the past several months, the Regents and Trustees have handed out two excessive executive compensation payouts, as well as increased student fees. In addition, the faculty had to call for a strike before the administration finally settled on a fair contract.
“It seems as if the students and faculty – the backbone of our university – are always left to the bear the burden, while high execs live high on the hog,” said Yee. “As a graduate of both the UC and CSU, I want to make sure our higher education systems succeed. We should be investing in instruction, not creating a get-rich factory for executives.”
“SB 190 will give the public an open window into the secret and scandal-ridden compensation practices of the UC Regents and CSU Trustees,” said Tom Newton, General Counsel for the California Newspaper Publishers Association. “This legislation will not only shine some light on executive compensation discussions, but will allow the public to decide for itself whether UC and CSU pay practices are fair and appropriate.”
“Senator Yee’s legislation will make sure that the University lives up to its public purpose and is held accountable for their actions,” said Lakesha Harrison, President of AFSCME Local 3299. “This legislation is an important first step in ensuring the accountability of the University to the people of California.”
“Thousands of students turn to this university for the education they need to contribute to California,” said Susan Meisenhelder of the California Faculty Association. “Instead of helping students get an education, the administration caters to elite executives who get huge pay raises and golden parachutes.”
In addition to the California Newspaper Publishers Association, California Faculty Association and AFSCME, SB 190 has garnered the support of Service Employees International Union (SEIU), University of California Student Association, Council of UC Faculty Associations, Associated Students of the University, California Nurses Association, Californians Aware, State Employee’s Trades Council, California State Employees Association, Community College Association, California Teachers Association, and California Federation of Teachers, as well as co-authors from both Democratic and Republican legislators.
SB 190 will now receive a final vote on the Senate floor before consideration by the Assembly.