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New: Students to Visit UC Regents' Corporate Offices in San Francisco on Wednesday

From Emma Woods
Tuesday November 15, 2011 - 04:26:00 PM

Protestors will call on bank execs on higher education boards to “make banks pay” to end cuts to higher education 

Following widespread student protests and an emerging #OccupyCal movement calling on higher education board members to make banks pay instead of cutting funds to higher education, thousands of students will converge on the corporate offices of the UC Regents in the San Francisco Financial District and at the CSU Trustees' meeting in Long Beach on Wednesday. 

The location of the convergence in San Francisco was changed yesterday to reflect the UC Regents’ decision to cancel their meeting, previously scheduled to take place on Wednesday at UCSF Mission Bay. The thousands of students, teachers, and others who planned to go to the meeting will gather at Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco, followed by a march on banks and corporate offices of the UC Regents and ending with a People's Assembly for Public Education at the State Building. Students in Southern California will proceed with the planned convergence at the CSU Trustees meeting in Long Beach, where the Trustees are set to consider proposed fee increases for the 2012-2013 academic year (see full schedule and site contacts below). 

Last week, over 10,000 students across California took to the streets, blocking traffic and marching on banks, demanding that bank executives and other corporate elite on the three boards overseeing California’s higher education system sign a pledge to make banks pay to stop cuts to higher education. Over 14 college campuses saw protests and rallies including Fresno State, CSU Sacramento, UC Davis, UC Berkeley, UC Santa Cruz, UC Santa Barbara, UCLA, CSU Long Beach, UC Riverside, UC Irvine, UC San Diego, San Diego State and San Francisco City College. The Berkeley protest ended when police used violence against the students and workers, who continued to be non-violent in the face of the baton-wielding police. On Tuesday, Berkeley students and faculty held a general strike to reject the actions taken by police and continue to call on higher education board members to sign a pledge to make banks pay to refund higher education. 

Many members of the university boards hold leadership positions at some of the nation’s biggest banks, financial institutions and corporations, which are the target of nationwide Occupy protests – including Monica Lozano, UC Regent and Bank of America Board Member. As these banks and their executives continue to profit, the California higher education system has suffered deep budget cuts resulting in the layoffs of thousands of teachers and workers, cuts to research projects vital for progress in public health and other areas, and record tuition hikes that have caused students – especially students of color – to drop out or delay education plans. 

The effort is being organized by Refund California, a statewide coalition of students, teachers, homeowners, workers, community members and faith leaders working to make Wall Street banks pay for a crisis they helped to create. 

Leading up to last week’s protests, the coalition sent a letter to the members of the Board of Regents of the University of California, the California State University Board of Trustees and the Community Colleges Board of Governors, calling on them to sign a pledge saying they will support five specific demands that will make banks pay their fair share to stop cuts to higher education, restore needed state revenue and improve the economy for California families. The demands include a federal sales tax on Wall Street financial transactions, which would generate needed revenue for education, and the reduction of underwater mortgage debt, which would put more money in the pockets of middle class families. 

**LOCATION DETAILS** 

SAN FRANCISCO 

Convergence on corporate offices of the UC Regents in the San Francisco Financial District 

12 pm - Rally at Justin Herman Plaza 

1 pm - March on banks in San Francisco Financial District 

4 pm - People's Assembly for Public Education at the State Building, 455 Golden Gate Ave 

Site contact: Charlie Eaton, 510-220-1520 

LONG BEACH 

Convergence at CSU Trustees Meeting, Chancellor’s Headquarters, 401 Golden Shore Drive 

8:30-9:30 am - Students arrive at meeting (Trustees expected to vote on fee cut around 10am) 

Immediately following - March on banks along Ocean Boulevard, ending at Wells Fargo, 111 West Ocean Boulevard 

Site contact: Bahar Tolou, 323-899-3399 

 

FOLLOW THE PROTESTS ONLINE: 

Facebook – “Like” Make Banks Pay California for updates, links, pictures, and videos. 

Twitter – Follow @ReFundCA and the hashtag #makebankspay 

Web – www.MakeBanksPayCalifornia.com