SACRAMENTO\u00a0\u2014\u00a0One unique perk California kids enjoyed for generations was tuition-free college. Now, a candidate for governor promises to bring that back. And bravo for her.<\/p>\n
The candidate, former congresswoman Katie Porter of Orange County, even suggests a way to pay for her bold pledge. That\u2019s unusual for a politician. It\u2019s normal to promise the moon without specifying how to get there.<\/p>\n
She\u2018d raise the corporate income tax a notch.<\/p>\n
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By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Service<\/a> and our Privacy Policy<\/a>. <\/p>\n OK, it\u2019s very unlikely to ever happen.<\/p>\n The powerful business lobby would scream, even though California companies would benefit from a more educated workforce.<\/p>\n And California\u2019s public universities would probably cry about their revenue streams having to rely on unpredictable corporate profits rather than the pocketbooks of students\u2019 parents.<\/p>\n But at least there\u2019s a potential governor who\u2019s advocating tuition-free higher education and proclaiming it to be a priority.<\/p>\n Why is this Democrat, a UC Irvine law professor, pushing the issue? Tuition cost doesn\u2019t show up anywhere on voter lists of important concerns. But California\u2019s high cost of living is a gigantic gripe. And \u201caffordability\u201d these days is one of the most overused words in any politician\u2019s vocabulary.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we talk about affordability, there\u2019s lots of talk about the problem, but people want to hear what [candidates] would do about it,\u201d Porter told me over coffee last week. One thing she\u2019d do is eliminate much of the tuition at public universities.<\/p>\n Another reason for making college tuition-free again, she said, is that \u201cit was a promise made to the people\u201d by the California Master Plan for Higher Education.<\/p>\n But that was 66 years and nine governors ago. A lot has changed.<\/p>\n Actually, tuition-free public higher education was a California birthright long before Gov. Pat Brown\u2019s master plan.<\/p>\n Policymakers regarded tuition-free college as a sound economic investment. It was in the state\u2019s self-interest to produce highly educated innovators and skilled professionals to grow the economy. The middle class expanded, with people landing good-paying jobs that resulted in higher tax revenue for state coffers.<\/p>\n That didn\u2019t mean college was free \u2014 and it wouldn\u2019t be under Porter\u2019s plan. There\u2019s still housing, meals, books and annoying fees.<\/p>\n But Sacramento switched priorities in the 1970s, spending tax money on other things: enhanced welfare, healthcare and specifically K-12 schooling.<\/p>\n Free tuition existed before the creation of Medi-Cal healthcare, which now eats up 20% of the state general fund. It also was prior to Proposition 13 in 1978 that dramatically cut property tax revenue for K-12 schools. The state felt obliged to make up the difference.<\/p>\n Naysayers contend California can\u2019t possibly afford to educate students today without their paying tuition. Nonsense. The state could happily afford it long before we expanded into the world\u2019s fourth largest economy. It\u2019s about priorities.<\/p>\n And today, free tuition could be the PR tonic California needs to brighten its faded image across America. It could attract middle-class families to California and keep those already here from fleeing.<\/p>\n Porter promised a return to yesteryear in a speech that was a far cry from old-time political rhetoric. Addressing more than 2,000 delegates at a recent Democratic state convention in San Francisco, she held up a whiteboard with two words in large letters: \u201cF\u2014 Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n And she led the delegates in shouting \u201cF\u2014 Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n That was a bit of a turnoff for this old traditionalist, who thinks politics has gotten too coarse and foul-mouthed.<\/p>\n I asked Porter what prompted the profanity and whether she had any regrets.<\/p>\n No, she answered. Candidates were allotted only four minutes to speak and \u201cI was economical with my time.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to be very clear in the first 15 seconds that I would fight Trump. I wanted the other three minutes and 45 seconds to be about all other stuff.<\/p>\n \u201cSome people just want to talk about Trump because they don\u2019t want to talk about our own problems.\u201d<\/p>\n Plowing into her speech, she quickly promised to \u201cdeliver single-payer healthcare, less-expensive housing, free childcare for all, zero tuition at our UCs and CSUs, and [elimination of] income tax for those earning less than $100,000.<\/p>\n \u201cThose are real affordability solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n Right. But no specifics. How does a state wading in red ink afford all that?<\/p>\n I pressed her when we met later. She didn\u2019t have time for details at the convention, she said. But this is her plan on tuition:<\/p>\n Free tuition only for California residents who are undergrads. And only in their third and fourth years at the University of California and California State University. If they desired free tuition in their first two years, they could attend community college.<\/p>\n Many community colleges already waive course fees for full-time, first-time students. Kids are better educated in their first two years at community college anyway, the UC professor said.<\/p>\n Many liberals complain that free tuition would waste tax money on rich kids who don\u2019t need it.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a believer in universal programs\u201d that don\u2019t base eligibility on income, Porter said. \u201cSomething I learned in Congress. You know what never gets cut? Universal programs such as Social Security and Medicare.\u201d<\/p>\n Anyway, she added, \u201cKids from really wealthy families go to Harvard or USC or other options.\u201d<\/p>\n Public school tuitions are bargains in California compared to other states and private universities.<\/p>\n At UC, annual tuition is roughly $14,900 and at CSU it\u2019s around $6,500. Without tuition, UC would lose roughly $5.9 billion and CSU $3.7 billion, state budget officials say.<\/p>\n But under Porter\u2019s plan, the universities would lose much less. They\u2019d still collect tuition from freshmen and sophomores and hefty levies from non-Californians. Also student aid could be cut back if kids weren\u2019t saddled with tuition.<\/p>\n Hiking the corporation tax from 8.84% to 9.5% \u201cwould generate way more than I need for tuition-free,\u201d Porter said. \u201cI would use any extra money for free childcare.\u201d<\/p>\n Political promises often aren\u2019t worth a nickel. But tenacious and feisty Porter\u2019s free tuition pledge might be worth at least a few bucks. And, maybe some votes.<\/p>\n What else you should be reading<\/p>\n The must-read: Veteran Rep. Darrell Issa decides not to seek reelection in new Democratic-leaning district<\/a>. Until next week,
Internal combustion: Anxiety grows among California Democrats as gubernatorial candidates rebuff calls to drop out<\/a>.
The L.A. Times Special: Yes, Republicans have a chance in California governor\u2019s race. Here\u2019s our expert analysis.<\/a><\/p>\n
George Skelton<\/p>\n