The movement to save higher education is building momentum on the streets and on the Internet.
Californians understand the stakes. Over the past ten years, fee increases and painful budget cuts have undermined a system of higher education that was once the envy of the nation. These cuts in college programs and increases in fees are creating an ever-higher barrier to a quality education at exactly the moment when we should be investing in this proven economic engine.
The numbers speak for themselves. For every dollar invested in higher education, California nets $3 in return. Investing in higher education is the smartest choice California can, and should, make right now to jumpstart our economy.
For months, students - as well as faculty and community leaders - have been marching and holding rallies to make their voices heard. On March 22, nearly 5,000 students from San Diego to Sonoma marched to the Capitol steps in Sacramento, demanding solutions to save higher education.
One of the most immediate and important solutions is AB 656.
My bill, AB 656: Fair Share for Fair Tuition, is a simple and fair solution to funding higher education. A 12.5% severance fee on Big Oil will raise $2 billion a year for California's colleges
