News
Good news for uC as Prop 1D passes
December 13, 2006
Californians approved Proposition 1D, the Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2006 on Tuesday, November 7 th. The measure will bring UC $345 million per year for facilities over the next two years. An additional $200 million over two years will fund medical school expansion and telemedicine programs. UCLA is set to receive a portion of the $200 million for medical education, and $38.6 million for the Life Sciences Replacement Building. Proposition 1D carried just over 56% of the vote, with 50% needed to pass. Generally, voters in urbanized coastal areas of the state, with the exception of Orange County, supported Proposition 1D with voters in Central Valley and mostly Northeastern California opposing the measure.
The UCLA Foundation and the UCLA Alumni Association) joined with the Regents in endorsing Prop 1D. The UCLA Foundation provided financial support to Californians for Higher Education, a campaign committee that worked to help pass 1D. The UCLA Alumni Association communicated to their membership about the impact Prop 1D will have on the UCLA campus.
Voters approved the four-part, $37.3 billion package of infrastructure bonds, including Proposition 1D, placed on the ballot last May by the Legislature and Governor. They also passed sex offender reform, and water and flood disaster bonds, but rejected six other initiatives, including those dealing with cigarette and oil taxes, and eminent domain.
GOVERNOR WINS REELECTION; GARAMENDI TAKES LT. GOVERNOR
As expected, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger soundly won reelection, defeating State Treasurer Phil Angelides, 55.8% to 39.2%, with all precincts reporting statewide races. Schwarzenegger’s reelection means that the existing budget compact between UC, CSU and the Governor remains in place. The UC Budget Office has indicated that they will be submitting a budget to the State Department of Finance that is in line with the Compact, but includes a request for additional funds to support University research priorities.
Meanwhile, Democratic Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi won the race for Lt. Governor over Republican State Senator and UCLA alumnus Tom McClintock, 49.5% to 44.9%. Results for other statewide offices are as follows:
Secretary of State
Debra Bowen (D), 48.5%
Incumbent Bruce McPherson (R), 44.7%
Controller
John Chiang (D), 50.9%
Tony Strickland (R), 40.0%
Treasurer
Bill Lockyer (D), 54.8%
Claude Parrish (R), 37.0%
Attorney General
Jerry Brown (D), 56.7%
Poochigian (R), 37.9%
Insurance Commissioner
Steve Poizner (R), 50.6%
Bustamante (D), 38.9%
LEGISLATIVE BALANCE OF POWER
Democrats kept control of the Assembly and the Senate, but the two-thirds majority needed to pass the state budget continued to elude them. Democrats need 54 votes in the Assembly and 27 votes in the Senate to achieve the two-thirds majority. By this morning, the legislative scoreboard remained the same with no power shift -- Assembly Democrats still held 48 seats and Republicans 32 seats. The status quo remained in the Senate, too, where Democrats kept 25 seats and Republicans 15.
UCLA LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION
While 19 of the 35 legislative districts assigned to UCLA by UCOP were open due to term limits, the political make up of these seats remains unchanged. Ten of UCLA’s assigned State Senators are Democrats and 2 are Republicans. On the Assembly side, UCLA is assigned 20 Democrats and 3 Republicans.
UCLA State Government Relations has been actively engaged in candidate cultivation. During the campaign cycle, we held a candidates’ forum in the 43 rd Assembly District and brought six newly elected Assemblymembers to campus for meetings with senior administrators, faculty, staff and alumni.
For photos from those events, click here.
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