Protesters Rally During UC Regents Meeting In Sacramento

SACRAMENTO (CBS13/AP) — A meeting of the UC Board of Regents to discuss another tuition increase was interrupted by protesters Wednesday morning at the Sacramento Convention Center.

Protesters wore orange jumpsuits and staged mock arrests of student speakers.

Members of the UC Board of Regents left the meeting room shortly after 10 a.m. after a dozen protesters stood up, began chanting and clapping hands and refused requests to stop.

The UC Union Coalition, UC Student Association, and Council of UC Faculty Associations rallied outside the Regents meeting. The coalition is calling on Gov. Jerry Brown and legislators to add strong existing and new accountability measures for UC to the state budget.

UC Regents Chair Sherry Lansing relocated the meeting Sacramento in response to campus protests but has resisted activists' demands and continued a crackdown on free speech and campus protest, the group said in press release on Wednesday.

Another tuition increase is on the table as UC officials continue to struggle with a major budget shortfall.

The UC Board of Regents was discussing a proposal to raise tuition by 6 percent this fall. The board would not vote on a tuition increase until July.

If UC approves a 6 percent hike, tuition for in-state undergraduates would rise by $731 to $12,923, nearly double what students paid five years ago.

Administrators say UC would need to consider a double-digit tuition increase if voters reject the governor's tax initiative in November, triggering another round of painful cuts.

The board is also scheduled to vote on the appointment of Pradeep Khosla as the next chancellor of UC San Diego.