"Hands Off UC" represents a broad coalition of Californians -- Democrats, Republicans, and Independents -- coming together to oppose a misguided and over-reaching legislative attack on UC under the false guise of reform.

Senate Constitutional Amendment 21 (SCA 21), authored by state Senators Leland Yee of San Francisco, Roy Ashburn of Bakersfield, and Gloria Romero of Los Angeles, proposes to undo more than 140 years of successful, independent governance by the University of California, placing it under direct control of the state Legislature. A similar and equally harmful companion bill (ACA 24) has been introduced in the state Assembly by Assemblymembers Brian Nestande of Palm Desert and Anthony Portantino of La Canada/Flintridge.

By eliminating the autonomy of the UC Board of Regents and placing the UC system under direct legislative control, SCA 21 and ACA 24 would cause irreparable harm to California's world-class public universities. Among the deleterious effects that we can anticipate from SCA 21 & ACA 24 are:

• diminishing UC’s ability to attract and retain the best and brightest leaders, academics and researchers;
• exposing UC governance to the corrosive influence of partisan politics;
• subjecting decisions regarding academic and scientific research to political calculation;
• devaluing UC’s hard-earned and well-deserved international reputation as an institution of integrity, innovation, and independence;
• reducing educational quality and the quality of scientific research; and,
• increasing UC’s vulnerability to the state’s own budget instability.

Of particular concern is the fact that the proposed UC power grab represents an unproven, untested, unnecessary "solution" in search of a problem. Under 140 years of independent leadership by the UC Board of Regents, California now boasts one of the most accomplished and respected public university systems in the world, and many of its 10 undergraduate universities consistently rank among the best in the nation.

While UC receives a relatively small and steadily declining subsidy from the state, it has instituted meaningful reforms to improve accountability and transparency, significantly cut institutional costs, and held student tuition below the average of what comparable universities charge.

Simply put, it’s hard to imagine the justification for such a drastic and sweeping proposal.

Above all, the University of California must remain true to its mission, which is firmly and historically rooted in its independence. UC must continue to compete to maintain its position as a world-class academic and research institution. This is truer now than ever before as we work to restore California to economic health. UC has always been one of California’s primary economic drivers, pushing innovation, creating thousands of jobs, spinning off hundreds of new businesses, and educating our future work force. We should not take lightly any attempt to weaken UC’s ability to compete and succeed and, in turn, weaken California’s future.

We need your help to stop this power grab by the Legislature: Email your state legislators now!