UC labor studies' funding coming, Nunez says
Contra Costa Times 1/18/07
After UC regents voted to name the labor program after the late union leader Miguel Contreras, Nunez, also a UC regent, said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told him that state budget officials "inadvertently" left out $6 million for the centers in the governor's January proposal.
Nunez, D-Los Angeles, said the governor promised the money would be added to the final budget.
"We were told the labor centers would be permanent from last year's budget on," Nunez told reporters. "Obviously the budget we send to the governor comes from the Legislature, so I'm not concerned."
Schwarzenegger has eliminated state money for the centers several times since taking office. In 2004, he removed funding for the last six months of the fiscal year during a midyear revision.
In the 2005 fiscal year, the money was not included in the state budget and was covered by other UC money. Last year, the governor also left the funding out of his proposed budget; the money was added later by the Legislature.
A spokesman for the state Finance Department, H.D. Palmer, said Wednesday that he could not comment on the governor's conversation with Nunez.
But, Palmer said, "we will continue to work with the speaker as well as Sen. (Don) Perata and the Republican leaders on the budget."
Republican lawmakers have questioned whether it is appropriate for tax dollars to pay for centers that help and study labor unions. The 43-year-old program researches employee issues and teaches union leaders how to organize.
Katie Quan, associate chairwoman of the Berkeley center, said the past few years have been difficult for the program's 12 full-time employees.
"Instead of staffing up, we've had to set aside some money to avoid layoffs," she said. "It's like being on a financial seesaw."