Who gets to lead top CA universities

From CalMatters higher education reporter Mikhail Zinshteyn:

As the public continues to question higher education’s value, it’s not surprising that two of California’s — and the country’s — top universities will soon be led by deans of business schools.

Wednesday, the University of California board of regents revealed that UC Berkeley’s 12th chancellor will be Rich Lyons, 63, former dean of the campus’s school of business and current leader for innovation and entrepreneurship. Last week Stanford University unveiled that its new president in August will be Jonathan Levin, 51, current dean of the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Both men earned their doctorates in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. UC’s systemwide president, Michael Drake, told reporters that 45% of the “hundreds and hundreds” of applicants for Berkeley chancellor were from underrepresented backgrounds and that 25% were women. He added that closer to half of the semi-finalists were women. 

Lyons will inherit a public education crown jewel beset by flagging faculty faith in UC Berkeley’s vision; a campus protest climate that has prompted police hate crime investigations and congressional scrutiny of alleged antisemitism; and ongoing financial struggles, in part fueled by a building seismic safety and maintenance backlog that in 2022 exceeded $8 billion. And while state support for the UC has increased in the past few years, the school reported in 2022 that state funds per student have declined by 38%, adjusted for inflation, since 1990.

In that time, UC tuition has soared, though more than half of California undergraduates don’t pay tuition due to financial aid. Still, other college-related costs, like housing, often equal or exceed tuition charges. That puts pressure on UC Berkeley and other campuses to keep costs manageable for low- and middle-class students.

Lyons’ salary will be $946,450, equal to the current chancellor’s salary, plus $220,000 in private funds. 

Lyons told reporters Wednesday that while advocating for increased state funds and more donations are necessary, the campus can lean on its own venture capital efforts to produce extra revenue. He said over the next decade UC Berkeley’s current investments could generate at least $100 million, much of it money the campus will be free to use how it wants. He stressed that growing that pot has to align with the values of a public university, but a sizable chunk of new cash that didn’t exist even half a decade ago “changes the game” for the school’s finances.

Speaking of education: The Public Policy Institute of California released its latest poll Wednesday night, surveying 1,605 adults (including 252 public school parents) on their thoughts on the state’s public education system. 

About half of all adults approved how Gov. Gavin Newsom, California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and the Legislature are handling the state’s K-12 education system. But approval rates for Newsom fell (from 60% in 2022 to 51%), and is the lowest it’s been since 2019, when the institute first asked about Newsom and public schools.

In the face of a multibillion-dollar state budget shortfall, 46% of residents and 53% of public school parents say that the state funding for schools is inadequate. A majority also said they would vote yes on a school construction bond (though voters rejected a $15 billion bond in 2020). In November, voters could decide if the state can borrow as much as $14 billion to repair facilities at K-12 schools and community colleges.

And while the majority of adults and public school parents support teaching the history of slavery and racism in schools, while also opposing book bans and restrictions on what subjects teachers and students can discuss — adults are split when it comes to transgender issues. And most public school parents (57%) would not allow books with stories about transgender youth, nor would they approve lessons on transgender issues (58%).

In their ruling Tuesday that Assemblymember Vince Fong can run for Congress and state Assembly at the same time, state appeals court judges pointedly said: “If the Legislature wants to prohibit candidates from running for more than one office at the same election, it is free to do so.”

Wednesday, the Assembly elections committee advanced Assembly Bill 1784, designed to make it easier for candidates to avoid being on multiple ballots. Another measure, AB 1795, would specifically clarify that a candidate is prohibited from filing for more than one office in the same primary election.

Because of timing, Fong ended up on the March 5 primary ballot for both the 20th Congressional District and his Assembly seat. He finished first in the U.S. House race and advanced to November and was unopposed in his re-election bid. Secretary of State Shirley Weber sought to kick him off the congressional ballot, but has now failed in two courts and is scheduled to certify the primary results by Friday.

If Fong wins both races in November, he plans to resign from the Assembly and head to Congress. But he could already be in D.C.; he’s in a May 21 runoff to fill the remainder of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s term.

In other election news: Fong’s isn’t the only convoluted congressional race in California. When primary returns were certified last week, it appeared that we had the first competitive three-way November race created by the top two primary: Assemblymember Evan Low and Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian tied for second place with 30,249 votes each, advancing both against top vote-getter Sam Liccardo, San Jose’s former mayor.

But there’s a big caveat: If a voter is willing to pay for a recount, and the new tally changed by just one vote, either Low or Simitian could be knocked off the ballot. 

Voters in the 16th Congressional District appear headed for that scenario. Santa Clara County election officials say they have received recount requests, and as long as payment is made, a recount could start Monday. A machine recount (cost $84,200) would take five days, while a hand recount ($320,000) would take 10, but would be more likely to find a mistake. 

Low, who beat Simitian by more than 1,300 votes in Santa Clara, sees the Liccardo camp’s fingerprints on this move. While one recount requester has ties to Liccardo, his campaign denies putting him up to it, the East Bay Times reported Wednesday.

• Low’s spokesperson, in a statement Wednesday: “Clearly Sam Liccardo doesn’t think he can win a three-way race because he’s showing he will do anything to avoid one.”

At a global insurance summit Wednesday, a rare public moment of agreement. 

As CalMatters economy reporter Levi Sumagaysay explains, during the Global Sustainable Insurance Summit in Los Angeles, Farmers Insurance Group CEO Raul Vargas aligned with California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara’s new regulation to allow insurers to use catastrophe modeling when setting their rates — saying that “insurers need the confidence to price correctly for the risk.”

Because insurance trade groups, not companies, have been speaking since they began pulling out of the state, it’s notable that the CEO of a major insurer publicly expressed support for Lara’s plan.

After legislators last year failed to draft a bill to fix the state’s insurance market, Lara has been introducing new rules in the hopes of easing the state’s strained last resort FAIR Plan. In an interview with CalMatters, Lara said he feels as if he is “in a forced marriage” with the insurance industry, and that they are “staying together for the kids.”

Read more about the summit in Levi’s story.

Speaking of leaders: CalMatters tech reporter Khari Johnson writes that the state cybersecurity center is still missing a commander. 

There have been four permanent leaders of the Cybersecurity Integration Center since 2016. But the center’s deputy director has been serving as an acting commander since the last departure in 2022. A spokesperson said Newsom’s team is searching for a candidate nationwide, though there is no timeline.

The center receives reports when a school district, state agency or private company experiences a major data breach, and stays informed by federal agencies of potential cybersecurity threats. Among other responsibilities, the commander assists law enforcement agencies with investigations, safeguards critical infrastructure and develops the state’s cybersecurity strategy.

Meanwhile, cyber attacks on public institutions, local governments and hospitals are on the rise. Hospitals and health care providers, for example, are still reeling from the February attack against Change Healthcare, the payment management company.

One of the biggest difficulties in finding a commander? Pay. The salary is about $187,000 a year — much less than a similar job in the private sector. 

For more about the vacant position, read Khari’s story.

Last year, recreational and commercial salmon season was canceled — a big blow to California’s coast. Did the feds do the same this year? Wednesday’s decision from CalMatters water reporter Rachel Becker.

The Arizona Supreme Court just banned nearly all abortions, except those to save the mother’s life. Does that mean more Arizona women will go to California clinics? Find out from CalMatters Inland Empire reporter Deborah Brennan.