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California lawmakers reached a deal to close the state’s $26 billion budget gap yesterday, agreeing on $15 billion in spending cuts. Of those cuts, $9 billion will be from education, $1.3 billion from state-worker furloughs, and $1.2 billion from the prison system. The Democratic controlled legislature is expected to vote on the budget this Thursday. Meanwhile, anticipating the severe cuts to education, University of California leaders voted last Thursday to enforce a furlough plan for 80% of its workers. With $813 million dollars in cuts to account for, the Board of Regents overwhelmingly approved the plan by a margin of 20-1. If accepted by employee unions, the furloughs slated to start on September 1st, would mandate the taking of unpaid leave equal to a four to ten percent reduction. Meanwhile, the Cal State University Board of Trustees is convening today in Long Beach to discuss and vote on plans for a possible 20% fee increase for students. The proposal by CSU Chancellor Charles Reed would follow a 10 percent tuition hike already approved in May and would raise the annual cost of education to $4,026. In addition to possible fee increases, the CSU system announced earlier this month that applications for the spring 2009 semester are closed in an effort to reduce enrollment by 40,000 students over the next two years. Cal State has also sought approval of a furlough plan from its unionized employees. In response to all the measures that would raise fees, close classes and layoff faculty members, students from all over the Cal State system’s twenty-three campuses are at this very moment convening outside of the Chancellor’s office in Long Beach for a day long protest.

GUESTS: Vanessa Rojas, Student at Cal State Bakersfield, Chris Newfield, Professor of English, UC Santa Barbara.