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The University of California Board of Regents was expected to slash pay for faculty and staff Thursday, July 16, during the same three-day meeting at which they were set to approve funds for rebuilding Memorial Stadium. 

UC President Mark Yudof announced Friday, July 10, that he would present the regents with a plan for pay cuts during the July 14-16 session at UCSF Mission Bay. 

A regents subcommittee approved the cuts during a Wednesday morning session, with a vote on final approval set for the full board Thursday morning, July 16. 

Yudof’s proposal, released in a “Dear Colleagues” letter, calls for a sliding scale of cutbacks delivered through unpaid furlough days, ranging from a cut of 4 percent for those earning $40,000 or less up to 10 percent for those earning over $240,000. 

Unpaid days off will range from 11 at the bottom end to 26 at the high end. 

The one exception is for senior management, who will take only 10 furlough days “even though their pay cut percentage may be higher,” according to Yudof’s letter. 

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) employees have been exempted from the cuts, and exemptions will also be granted some other employees. 

“Systemwide furloughs will produce $515 million from all fund sources,” Yudof wrote, “including $184 million in General Fund savings which equals roughly one-quarter of our State funding deficit.” 

Action on the cuts was set for Wednesday’s meeting of the Committees on Finance and Compensation as part of a package that includes a declaration of financial emergency. 

For more on the proposal, see www.universityofcalifornia.edu/regents/regmeet/jul09/joint.pdf. 

During the same three-day meeting, regents were expected to confirm the appointment of A. Paul Alivisatos as LBNL Interim Director pending the hiring of a permanent replacement for Steve Chu who left the lab to become Secretary of Energy in the cabinet of President Barack Obama. 

The proposal before the regents would pay Alivisatos—who won’t be affected by the cuts—a base salary of $357,000 plus another $49,980 stipend and an $8,916 car allowance. He’ll also be entitled to a home loan “up to policy limits.” 

The board’s Committee on Grounds and Buildings was also expected to approve $18.3 million in interim financing for preliminary plans for renovation of California Memorial Stadium, the landmark Berkeley structure that sits directly over the Hayward Fault. 

The full schedule for the three-day meeting is available online at www.universityofcalifornia.edu/regents/regmeet/july09.html. Documentation for each item is available by clicking on the entry. 

Bay City News contributed to this article.