My immediate response to this news (heard earlier on local N. Cal radio early this morning) is that Moonbeam brings these two elements at the same time (five year tax extension and budget cuts). As it works its way through the state legislature watch as the budget cuts are amended and not as deep, while the taxes are absolutely extended five years.
The way the UC system is run is absolutely criminal. The way they cut things is politically stupid - allowing the UCs to structure them as tuition hikes and services cutback rather than cutting regents’ salaries (or the regents all-together), and the layers of middle management that riddle the system.
Part of this is that the state would rather give the UCs money without oversight, but I think part of it is that the regents and management are the best politically connected part of the UC system and thus able to resist cuts to their own pocketbooks.
Well, it’s sort of an interesting approach, because the legislature will have to deal with the fact that the voters won’t agree to support the extension unless the cuts are made. They can make the cuts, WE get to decide whether we’ll extend the revenue stream.