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We are in a budget crisis and we need help. However, the governor won’t be coming to the rescue anytime soon.

On Oct. 11, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger plowed his way through nearly 700 bills, vetoing at least 230. Among the bills vetoed were Senate Bill 86 and SB 218. SB 86 aimed to prohibit pay increases to top executives in the CSU and UC systems in years that the budget is less than or equal to that of the year before. SB 218 would have required state college auxiliary organizations that receive state funds or provide government functions on campus adhere to the California Public Records Act therefore increasing transparency of the interactions between non-governmental groups and UCs, CSUs and California Community Colleges 8212; this would have included entities such as Associated Students. The bills, introduced by Sen. Leland Yee, passed both houses of the state legislature last month.

In response to vetoing SB 86, the governor stated that cutting the pay of high-level administrators and executives would hinder CSUs and UCs from providing a high level of education and attracting top researchers and professors. The governor’s reasoning behind his veto of SB 218 was that holding the activities of private donors and volunteers to the criteria of the CPRA would have a “chilling effect on their support and service.”

Clearly, the governor is faulty in his reasoning. The decision to take action against the budget crisis facing state colleges should not be conditional on pleasing auxiliary organizations or executives. The governor has made a mistake by vetoing these beneficial bills and students, faculty and professors will continue to pay for his crippling lack of action.

In the case of SB 86, the governor has considered state colleges unable to be fiscally competitive in bidding for top researchers and professors therefore making California colleges and universities less credible and decreasing the standard of education. However, he fails to realize that budget cuts in and of themselves are debilitating the reputation of all CSUs, UCs and CCCs. With budget cuts, students’ tuition increases, admissions and class hours decrease and professors get fired; this is obviously a recipe for long-term disaster. It is doubtful that in trying to attract top-level personnel, those worth the bid will simply overlook the downward spiral that our state college systems are falling into and expect to be paid a comparable amount of money for a long term. This is shocking especially because last July, in the midst of this budget crisis, the UC Board of Regents approved both salary increases for some executives and a raise on student fees at the same meeting.

SB 218 is a reasonable step toward tracking funds and increasing transparency that could meet more immediate needs of state colleges. Again, the governor failed to comprehend its overwhelming benefits. As government organizations, the CSU, UC and CCC systems should be held accountable for all the money that goes in and out of the system. Increasing the transparency of where money goes when it is paid to auxiliary organizations contributes to the health of a democracy and should not be censored for fear of putting off the charitable funds of these organizations.

If there is no corruption, these organizations and the executives of state colleges will have nothing to hide and should therefore welcome the CPRA to expose their lawful and moral money usage record. The governor’s veto of this bill exemplifies his lack of care for the ideals of a democracy, for the state college system and his hypocrisy as he has a Web site entirely dedicated to the promotion of governmental transparency.

Politicians often carry no solid reasoning behind their actions, however, in these difficult times, the political antics and false reasoning behind vetoing beneficial legislation cannot be overlooked. The governor has clearly failed to serve the students and faculty of all CSUs, UCs and CCCs and continues to leave us all searching on our own for solutions.

However, we cannot get very far when the funds are clearly not there. We must push for legislation that will in any way help relieve our budget constraints. As our fiscal dilemma continues to affect the quality of education in state colleges, all aspects of the system will gradually lose quality and credibility. This is no longer the time to consider political correctness and staying on the good side of executives and outside organizations. Our education is at risk and our government must take action.

8212;Renee Villasenor is a journalism senior.

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