Budget Cutting Costs UC, CSU $131.9 Million

A Senate-Assembly conference committee struggling to balance the state’s 1988-89 budget cut $75 million from the University of California today and $56.9 million from California State University.

The general support budget reductions of about 3.7% were the latest in a series aimed at eliminating a projected deficit of $1 billion for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

Even before these latest cuts, budget writers had trimmed $632.6 million from the spending plan they must send to Gov. George Deukmejian.

The reductions included $11.4 million for the state’s mentor teacher program, $10 million for a program to improve the quality of classroom teaching, $10 million from public schools staff development, kindergarten through high school, and $5 million from a dropout prevention plan.

Cuts Undistributed

The committee’s ax cost the Department of Corrections about $100 million, the California Youth Authority $17 million and the education support services staff of state schools chief Bill Honig $2.84 million.

The cuts were undistributed, meaning the bureaucrats of the departments involved will have to allocate the reductions in spending. Some of them were proposed Thursday by Sen. John Garamendi (D-Walnut Grove). The three other Democrats on the committee joined Garamendi in voting for them.

“I guess we’re gonna double cell some folks, not be so nice to ‘em,” remarked Assemblyman John Vasconcellos (D-Santa Clara), the conference panel’s chairman.

The two Republicans, Sen. Marian Bergeson (Newport Beach), and Assemblyman William P. Baker (Danville), objected. They said cuts should be made on a selective basis.

The cuts came after Vasconcellos announced at mid-afternoon that another $864 million would have to be slashed to balance the next fiscal budget and provide the governor with a $600-million reserve.

Before the cuts in corrections and education spending were announced, committee aides estimated that $405 million had been cut from the state’s general fund since the committee began its deliberations Wednesday.