Assembly Majority Leader Torrico
to lead rally for higher education funding
Takes campaign for AB 656 to Contra Costa College on Thursday
San Pablo – Assembly Majority Leader Alberto Torrico (Fremont) will rally with students and faculty this Thursday at Contra Costa College to raise awareness of the need to increase funding to higher education. A rally at the college’s amphitheater will be followed by a short panel discussion in the Fireside Room on campus.
Torrico’s AB 656 would provide almost $2 billion for higher education by establishing a 12.5 percent severance tax on oil and natural gas. California is the only major oil-producing state that does not charge the tax on oil companies. Texas raises about $400 million per year for higher education and Alaska levies a 25 percent tax.
“At a time when our state is spending more money on prisons than we do on all three higher education systems combined, California must boost its funding to keep the doors of our colleges and universities open to students,” Majority Leader Torrico said. “Studies show there will be an even larger wave of students seeking a higher education in the near future, but we currently don’t have sufficient funds to handle the enrollment growth, let alone the students we have now. We have to stop the record student fee hikes, staff furloughs, admission caps and canceled courses or fewer students will be able to make their way through to graduation.”
Torrico has joined forces with students, staff and faculty to build grassroots support for AB 656 with rallies up and down the state. Currently, about 60,000 Californians have registered their support for the legislation, by signing cards on campuses or joining the Fair Share for Fair Tuition page on Facebook.
“Our higher education system is still held in high esteem, but polls show families are concerned that rising fees may make it less accessible for the next generation of students,” Torrico said.
WHO: Assembly Majority Leader Alberto Torrico (Fremont), CCC students
WHAT: Higher Education Rally and panel discussion on AB 656
WHERE: Contra Costa College Amphitheater and Fireside Rm., 2600 Mission Bell Dr., San Pablo
WHEN: 12 p.m.-2 p.m., Thursday, March 18, 2010