California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a new law to stop one of America’s most prestigious universities being forced from turning away thousands of its freshman class.
The state Supreme Court made an 11-day order to the University of California Berkeley to decrease its enrollment. A neighborhood group had sued the school. They argued that university officials failed to consider how increasing student numbers would impact the environment.
On Monday, the California Legislature acted quickly and unanimously to overrule the court’s decision and sent the bill to Newsom. Newsom signed it within hours.
Schools are given more time to comply with the new law before they can be ordered by judges to reduce enrollment. It is also retroactive and reverses the previous court ruling that affected UC Berkeley.
Newsom stated, “I’m grateful that the Legislature moved quickly on this crucial issue – it sends out a clear message that California won’t allow lawsuits to get in the way education and dreams for thousands of students, future leaders, and innovators.”
The California Environmental Quality Act, which was a landmark 1970 law, has been updated by the new legislation. It requires that state and local agencies evaluate and disclose any significant environmental impacts of projects and find ways to reduce them.
However, environmentalists have used the law to stop housing and public transit projects in the decades that followed its passage.
The case against UC Berkeley involved Save Berkeley’s Neighborhoods, a non-profit group, who sued the university. They claimed that more students would increase the housing shortage in San Francisco Bay Area and raise rents.
UC Berkeley has a housing crisis like many others in California. This is due to decades of under-building. Many students live off campus, so there is not much on-campus housing. Apartments closer to campus are more expensive than those in cheaper apartments. Residents complain about the increased traffic, noise, and housing costs.
The court agreed with the neighbors and ordered that the university stop building more housing and keep its enrollment at the current level for the 2020-21 school years. Officials at the school said that they had to turn down about 2,600 applicants for the freshman class.
This decision shocked parents, lawmakers, and anxious applicants who waited to hear if their applications would be accepted this fall. Students and university officials pleaded for an urgent fix.
The state Legislature, dominated by Democrats, responded with extraordinary speed. They wrote and passed a bill in 11 days. Other bills can take as long as eight months to become law.
Assemblymember Kevin McCarty from Sacramento, a Democrat, said that “This would have closed the doors to college education for thousands” “Our economy needs more college graduates. College is the key to the middle class, we know this.
The bill was hoped to end the controversy by lawmakers. Phil Bokovoy, president and CEO of Save Berkeley’s Neighborhoods, stated that the bill was poorly written and would lead to more litigation.
Bokovoy, a UC Berkeley alumnus who lives nearby the campus, stated that “UC Berkeley doesn’t have the capacity to accommodate more students.” “We don’t want new students living in their cars.”
Carol Christ, Chancellor of UC Berkeley, stated that the school is committed to “continuing our efforts to address a Student Housing Crisis through new construction below market housing.”
Newsom, a Democrat, signed the law. It is narrowly tailored for UC Berkeley, but it applies to all state universities and colleges. It does not contain the larger reforms that legislators from both sides have called for.
Senator Scott Wiener, a Democrat hailing from San Francisco, stated that the law protecting the environment has been “distorted beyond recognition” to allow anyone with enough money to hire a lawyer and delay or block any environmentally sustainable project — including bike lanes and public transport.
Republicans also agreed with Assemblymember Vince Fong who stated that reform is a growing desire in both parties.
He said that “But the question is”: “Is there the political will to make it happen?”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a new law to stop one of America’s most prestigious universities being forced from turning away thousands of its freshman class.
The state Supreme Court made an 11-day order to the University of California Berkeley to decrease its enrollment. A neighborhood group had sued the school. They argued that university officials failed to consider how increasing student numbers would impact the environment.
On Monday, the California Legislature acted quickly and unanimously to overrule the court’s decision and sent the bill to Newsom. Newsom signed it within hours.
Schools are given more time to comply with the new law before they can be ordered by judges to reduce enrollment. It is also retroactive and reverses the previous court ruling that affected UC Berkeley.
Newsom stated, “I’m grateful that the Legislature moved quickly on this crucial issue – it sends out a clear message that California won’t allow lawsuits to get in the way education and dreams for thousands of students, future leaders, and innovators.”
The California Environmental Quality Act, which was a landmark 1970 law, has been updated by the new legislation. It requires that state and local agencies evaluate and disclose any significant environmental impacts of projects and find ways to reduce them.
However, environmentalists have used the law to stop housing and public transit projects in the decades that followed its passage.
The case against UC Berkeley involved Save Berkeley’s Neighborhoods, a non-profit group, who sued the university. They claimed that more students would increase the housing shortage in San Francisco Bay Area and raise rents.
UC Berkeley has a housing crisis like many others in California. This is due to decades of under-building. Many students live off campus, so there is not much on-campus housing. Apartments closer to campus are more expensive than those in cheaper apartments. Residents complain about the increased traffic, noise, and housing costs.
The court agreed with the neighbors and ordered that the university stop building more housing and keep its enrollment at the current level for the 2020-21 school years. Officials at the school said that they had to turn down about 2,600 applicants for the freshman class.
This decision shocked parents, lawmakers, and anxious applicants who waited to hear if their applications would be accepted this fall. Students and university officials pleaded for an urgent fix.
The state Legislature, dominated by Democrats, responded with extraordinary speed. They wrote and passed a bill in 11 days. Other bills can take as long as eight months to become law.
Assemblymember Kevin McCarty from Sacramento, a Democrat, said that “This would have closed the doors to college education for thousands” “Our economy needs more college graduates. College is the key to the middle class, we know this.
The bill was hoped to end the controversy by lawmakers. Phil Bokovoy, president and CEO of Save Berkeley’s Neighborhoods, stated that the bill was poorly written and would lead to more litigation.
Bokovoy, a UC Berkeley alumnus who lives nearby the campus, stated that “UC Berkeley doesn’t have the capacity to accommodate more students.” “We don’t want new students living in their cars.”
Carol Christ, Chancellor of UC Berkeley, stated that the school is committed to “continuing our efforts to address a Student Housing Crisis through new construction below market housing.”
Newsom, a Democrat, signed the law. It is narrowly tailored for UC Berkeley, but it applies to all state universities and colleges. It does not contain the larger reforms that legislators from both sides have called for.
Senator Scott Wiener, a Democrat hailing from San Francisco, stated that the law protecting the environment has been “distorted beyond recognition” to allow anyone with enough money to hire a lawyer and delay or block any environmentally sustainable project — including bike lanes and public transport.
Republicans also agreed with Assemblymember Vince Fong who stated that reform is a growing desire in both parties.
He said that “But the question is”: “Is there the political will to make it happen?”
