CFA annually adopts a legislative agenda that reflects the priorities of the organization along with the prevailing political and economic climate of the state. Broadly stated, CFA's legislative agenda is developed to preserve and enhance the instructional mission of the CSU through supporting legislation that promotes faculty rights and the quality of education, and by opposing legislation that detracts from these objectives.
After countless hours, walking door-to-door on campuses, faculty-faculty encouragement and strong student support, CFA was highly successful in securing a strong contract for CSU faculty this year, in large part to the political relationships that CFA has fostered with key legislators from the Assembly and Senate. CFA was also successful in preventing a proposed $30 million reduction to the CSU 2007/08 budget that would have placed our contract in jeopardy.
CFA also requested, and was approved, an extensive state audit of the CSU’s executive compensation practices that will be released in November 2007. CFA believes the audit with substantiate many of our claims that the CSU leadership is avoiding public scrutiny and legislative oversight when approving huge compensation packages for existing and retiring CSU executives.
The governor signed CFA-sponsored SB 190 into law, ensuring the CSU Board of Trustees holds open and public meetings when considering and acting on top executives’ compensation, thus prohibiting the CSUBOT from making these decisions behind closed doors.
However, despite thousands of faxes and phone calls from CSU students and faculty, numerous newspaper endorsements, and strong bi-partisan support from the legislature, the governor vetoed CFA-sponsored AB 1413 that would have placed reasonable guidelines on future CSU executive compensation, allowed the BOT ex officio members to send staff representatives to attend Trustee meetings to provide needed expertise, and required the BOT to reveal the terms and conditions of contracts signed by chief CSU executives.
CFA anticipates 2008 will be another difficult year, with state budget shortfalls approaching $8 billion, and ongoing efforts by CFA to prevent further student fee increases and the “waste, fraud and abuse” by CSU executives.
● AB 1413 (Anthony Portantino and Julia Brownley) – Sponsor
CSU Governance and Compensation Reform
Status: Vetoed by Governor (see attached veto message)
AB 1413 increases the public accountability and oversight of the CSU administration and Board of Trustees (Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Assembly Speaker, Superintendent of Public Instruction), and ensures more responsible and transparent decision-making. It allows the four ex officio members of the Board of Trustees to designate someone to represent them at BOT meetings in his or her absence, but without the right to vote or attend closed session meetings.
● SB 190 (Leland Yee) – Sponsor
CSU Executive Compensation
Status: Signed Into Law by Governor
SB 190 ensures the CSU Board of Trustees holds open meetings when considering and acting on top executives’ compensation, and would restrict Trustees from making these decisions behind closed doors.
(CFA also requested – and the Legislature approved – an audit by the State Auditor of the CSU’s executive compensation and hiring practices. The executive compensation audit is scheduled to be released in early November.)
● SB 259 (Gloria Negrete McLeod) – Sponsor
CalPERS Service Credit for Reduced Pay Leaves
Status: Vetoed by Governor (see attached veto message)
SB 259 is a re-introduction of last year’s CFA-sponsored AB 2355, vetoed by the Governor. The bill corrects an existing inequity by ensuring CSU faculty receive their full PERS service credit that is accrued while taking a reduced pay leave (e.g. sabbatical) longer than six months.
