Posts Tagged: budget

Humiston speaks to state Senate budget subcommittee; Laird comments on thank you notes

Vice President Glenda Humiston spoke to the California Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 1 on Education at a hearing to discuss the University of California's budget on Feb. 9.

The session was chaired by state Sen. John Laird, who championed augmentation of the 2021-22 budget for UC ANR.  

Humiston gave a status report for UC ANR via Zoom due to COVID protocols.

“Thanks to the ongoing augmentation of the 2021-22 budget for UC ANR, we have acted quickly to rebuild the UC Cooperative Extension footprint,” Humiston told the committee. “While the positions identified in March 2021 are still the focal point of the hiring plan, we also implemented a separate process to ensure identification of the highest priority academic positions across all discipline areas for today and into the future. This involved communicating with community partners and other stakeholders to identify the most pressing needs and prioritize the next round of hiring.”

She noted that, for the first time, UC ANR opened requests for placement of UC Cooperative Extension specialists to all 10 campuses.

“To date, 11 Cooperative Extension advisors and specialists have been hired and are in the field, while 35 more are currently under recruitment and expected to be hired before June 2022,” Humiston said. “UC ANR will be announcing over 40 additional new advisor positions and up to 20 specialist positions later this spring. We've expanded recruiting capacity and enhanced hiring practices to meet the evolving demands of the job market and ensure success. UC ANR is committed to hiring a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the top talent necessary to solve societal problems. We will provide the committee with a budget and impact report later this spring. 

Laird mentioned in the hearing that legislators aren't often thanked for their work, but after UC ANR received a budget augmentation, he returned from the summer recess to find a huge stack of thank-you cards on his desk.

Laird also noted that UC campuses get COLAs (cost of living adjustments) and he would like ANR's budget to be adjusted annually as well. The adjustment would apply to the overall state general fund budget, not salaries. 

Discussion of UC ANR begins at 1:46:30 of the recording at https://www.senate.ca.gov/media/budget-fiscal-review-subcommittee-1-education-20220209/video.

 

Governor releases budget proposal for 2022-23

Governor Newsom released on January 10 his budget proposal for FY 22/23. Under the plan, UC would see a 5 percent budget increase over each of the next five fiscal years, allowing the University to increase enrollment, boost resources to help underrepresented groups achieve academic success, and expand college access and affordability for struggling students and families across the state. However, Governor Newsom proposes to hold UC ANR's budget flat, after restoring the budget to pre-COVID levels last year, increasing it by 5% and adding $32 million in ongoing funding.

Other highlights of Newsom's spending plan for UC include:

• $185 million in one-time funding for research and innovation to combat climate change, including the creation of new climate-focused innovation hubs, workforce development for climate-focused careers, and seed grants that will attract matching funds to accelerate projects that foster resilience and mitigate the environmental impacts of climate change.
• $100 million in one-time funding for energy-efficiency projects across UC campuses and critical deferred maintenance.

“We look forward to working with the governor and the legislature as they finalize the budget, and we appreciate Governor Newsom's significant investments in UC that will help improve the lives of all Californians,” said Anne Megaro, director of government and community relations.

Laird and regents discuss 'resuscitation' of UCCE

On Nov. 17, state Sen. John Laird was invited to the UC Regents' Public Engagement and Development Committee to discuss his support for the university. Laird described his instrumental role in what he called the “resuscitation” of UC Cooperative Extension by championing the state's historic increase to UC ANR's budget.

“We basically got an over 50% increase to try to bring it back to where it was at least a decade ago,” said Laird, who is chair of the Senate Budget Subcommittee on Education. He credited the agricultural community in Monterey County for initiating the push to restore UCCE funding.

“I think it's really a feather in the cap for UC because it is something that reaches into every agricultural county of the state and is really appreciated,” Laird, a UC Santa Cruz alumnus, told the regents.

While touring Santa Cruz County, Laird recalled meeting a young farm employee who reduced water consumption 15% in the farm's greenhouses by following the advice of a local UCCE farm advisor. The senator noted that the UCCE advice helped the Watsonville native, a person of color, get off to a successful start in the agricultural field.

Laird said UC needs to publicize more success stories like that. “I think that story really demonstrates the difference that is made … Here is UC Cooperative Ag Extension giving advice to somebody who is starting probably a 35- or 40-year career and saving a bunch of water right off the bat.”

To view the excerpt of his discussion with the regents, visit https://youtu.be/aL524U8z0qM.

UC ANR celebrates budget increase, releases 10 UCCE positions for recruitment

After three years of limited hiring due to budget constraints, Vice President Glenda Humiston announced the release of 10 UC Cooperative Extension positions for recruitment.

The new UC Cooperative Extension positions include:

• #11 Plant Pathology Area Advisor, Santa Cruz County
• #13 Soils and Irrigation Advisor, Kern County
• #15 Urban Agriculture/Small Farms Area Advisor, San Bernardino County
• #27 Community Nutrition & Innovative Technologies Specialist, UC Davis
• #31 Forest and Fuels Management Specialist, UC Berkeley
• #37 Subtropical Crops Pathology Specialist, UC Riverside
• #45 Diversified Agricultural Systems Area Advisor, Lake County
• #55 Forestry and Natural Resources Area Advisor, Sutter-Yuba counties
• #59 4-H Youth Development Advisor, San Mateo-San Francisco counties
• #63 Integrated Vineyard Systems Area Advisor, at Hopland Research and Extension Center

The county listed beside the advisor title is where the office for the employee will be located. All of the UC Cooperative Extension Advisor positions will serve multiple counties.

A full description of each position is available at the corresponding position number at the bottom of https://ucanr.edu/sites/anrstaff/Divisionwide_Planning/2018_Call_for_Positions, with some modifications.

On July 12, the state restored UC ANR's budget to pre-COVID levels of FY 2019-20 and provided a 5% increase plus an additional $32 million in ongoing funding, bringing total state support to $107.9 million for the division.

“This budget increase is transformational,” Humiston said, “It will allow us to rebuild UC Cooperative Extension's boots-on-the-ground to help Californians cope with wildfire, drought, climate adaptation and economic development among other issues.”

Over the past 20 years, UC ANR had seen its budget decrease by almost 50% when adjusted for inflation. As a result, UC ANR was forced to reduce Cooperative Extension advisors and specialists – from 427 positions in 2001 down to only 269 in 2021 – creating vacancies in many critical positions.

Twenty UC Cooperative Extension positions have been designated as critically urgent to fill. To avoid overwhelming UC ANR's Human Resources staff, the other 10 positions of the 20 will be released in late September as they ramp up hiring for future recruitment. Seven to 10 positions will be released each of the next four months, with more positions to be released in 2022.

“We look forward to releasing additional positions for recruitment – both academic and program support members – throughout the next several months,” said Humiston. 

“We are extremely grateful to Governor Newsom, the Legislature and especially Senator John Laird, who championed the budget increase, and look forward to working with our community partners to leverage these resources.”

Visit UC ANR Jobs to see the current positions open for recruitment.

Request full restoration of UC ANR’s budget

As VP Humiston announced in the Feb. 24 ANR Update,  Governor Newsom and the state Legislature have agreed to full restoration of UC's budget for the next fiscal year. For UC ANR, that means the 12.7% cut we sustained in FY 2020/21 will be restored, bringing our budget back to pre-COVID levels for FY 2021/22.

This restoration of funding was included in the UC Regent's official FY 21/22 state budget request. We are thrilled to see it moving forward and are working across the UC system to ensure the Regent's budget request is included in the state's final budget package.

Because the state budget hasn't been finalized (and won't be until mid-June), we need help to remind legislators of the benefits of investing in UC ANR.

“There are two upcoming budget subcommittee hearings where state lawmakers will specifically discuss UC's FY2021-22 budget,” VP Humiston said. “This is our chance to set the tone during budget negotiations, and providing public comment is one of the highest impact actions you can take. These hearings are on March 1 and March 9.”

Will you thank the Legislature for their support and ask that they continue to restore critical funding to UC ANR?

Due to the pandemic, the Legislature now allows anyone to dial-in and participate in the hearings – which means even more UC advocates can make their voices heard. If you prefer advocating for UC via social media, Tweets and Facebook and Instagram posts are quick and effective ways to express your support for UC. Emails, letters, and calls to members' personal offices are also highly effective.

Need more information? You can stay informed of important budget hearings and calls to action by signing up to for the UC Advocacy Network. By joining, you'll learn how you can advocate for UC and stay updated on the latest issues impacting higher education. This site also helps you find and contact your representatives.

Tweets or posts

Tell the Legislature why funding for UC is critical. Effective tweets and posts should include:

• Your relationship with UC ANR (legislators might not know that 4-H, Master Gardeners, or even Cooperative Extension are part of UC ANR, so make sure to mention UC ANR along with your programmatic connection!)
• Why you care about UC ANR/ the impact it has on you, your family, your business or your community.
• An ask for “full budget restoration”

Example tweet/post:

4-H has been a bright light for my children and community while sheltering in place. We immediately went to work 1 year ago making masks to protect loved ones and healthcare workers. As a program within UC ANR, we rely on critical state funding. Please fully restore UC ANR's budget! @yourrepresentative 
(add a personal photo if you wish).

Please share this message with your community partners and friends who are eager to lend their voice to support UC ANR funding. Your advocacy truly helps!

 

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