Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/425846
The Associated Press SACRAMENTO A major- ity of California adults say the state is not providing enough money for its pub- lic colleges and universities, but they are unsure what to do about it, according to a poll released Monday. While 59 percent say the higher education system is underfunded, majorities also reject the idea of rais- ing taxes or tuition to main- tain the current funding for the University of California, California State University and community colleges, according to the survey by the Public Policy Institute of California. Of the adults questioned, 56 percent opposed raising taxes to pay for higher ed- ucation and 77 percent op- posed tuition hikes. The re- sults were similar for likely voters. Questions about higher education funding flared anew two weeks ago when UC regents approved tu- ition hikes for each of the next five years over the ob- jections of Gov. Jerry Brown and many state lawmakers. The action will increase the cost to students of a UC ed- ucation by 28 percent by fall 2019, unless the state allo- cates more money. Brown and the Legisla- ture have been channeling more money to all three higher education systems since voters approved tem- porary tax hikes in 2012, an infusion of cash that has kept student rates fro- zen. The freeze came after a series of increases at the 10 UC campuses that nearly doubled tuition since 2006. The survey also found that 59 percent of Califor- nia adults believe the af- fordability of a higher edu- cation is a "big problem" for students. The governor is expected to offer his response to the UC action when he releases his budget proposal for the comingfiscalyearinJanuary. In a separate question, voters said they were more amenable to keeping in place the temporary tax in- creases they authorized two years ago. The survey found that 52 percent of likely vot- ers favored an extension, although the survey did not specific how long that might be. Proposition 30, which was pushed by the governor, increased taxes on earnings over $250,000 for seven years and boosted the statewide sales taxes by a quarter cent for four years. The extra money was in- tended for schools and pub- lic safety. Results differed based on party affiliation, with 71 percent of Democrats fa- voring an extension but 64 percent of Republicans op- posing such a move. Among independent voters, 56 per- cent favored an extension. TAXES Poll:Californiansunsure how to fund colleges The Associated Press LOS ANGELES A Pacific storm system fueled by a plume of subtropical mois- ture headed toward Cali- fornia on Monday, trigger- ing warnings of widespread rain that could unleash mudflows even as it brings much-needed snow to the drought-stricken state. Rain was expected to begin falling Tuesday, al- though the timing of the heaviest downpours was variable, according to the National Weather Service. Storm watches were posted for a large swath of the Sierra Nevada, where a huge amount of the state's water supply is normally stored as snowpack. Signif- icant accumulations were predicted but not enough to be a drought buster. Any delight over the prospect of beneficial pre- cipitation was tempered by concerns about the threat of debris flows from the many areas of Califor- nia where wildfires have burned away vegetation that would keep soil stable. A weak storm Sunday was enough to block Pa- cific Coast Highway west of Malibu with a flow of mud from a section of the steep Santa Monica Mountains denuded by a 44-square- mile fire last year. "It's pretty loose terrain around here. When it gets wet, it comes down," mo- torist Joshua Nelson told KCAL-TV. Residents placed sand- bags to protect proper- ties in foothill cities north- east of Los Angeles, where some communities below steep mountains have long lived with concrete barri- ers lining streets in hopes of keeping debris flows out of homes. Glendora resident Cory Hansen piled sand bags around his home. "Hundreds, hundreds of them," he told KABC- TV. "We keep going down to the city yard picking up more, as much as we can. We don't know what's go- ing to happen in the next few days." Back-to-back storms are helping some cities in northwest California reach normal rainfall amounts for the year, or even bet- ter, but the reservoirs and Sierra snowpack that pro- vide much of the state's wa- ter remain far short of what they should be, after three years of intense drought. Redding, 220 miles north of San Francisco, reached 124 percent of nor- mal rainfall by Monday af- ter the weekend storms, National Weather Ser- vice forecaster Eric Kurth said. To the south, San Jose stood just a third of an inch shy of its normal 2.89 inches for the period, fore- caster Austin Cross said. For California's water supply, however, it's the Si- erra snowpack that counts, Kurth said. And that re- mains significantly below normal, though much bet- ter than last year. Rain so far, at this early point in California's wet season, have yet to make much of an impact on the state's main reservoirs. Lake Shasta and Lake Oro- ville have less than 50 per- cent of their usual water level for the start of De- cember, while Folsom Lake stands at 59 percent, Kurth said. WEATHER California braces for powerful Pacific storm NICKUT—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Richard Pope places sand bags along his driveway to protect his home from an expected storm in Glendora on Monday. • Antiques • Collectibles • Re-Purposed Items • Shabby Chic Items • Hand Crafted Items 7790Hwy.99E Los Molinos, CA 96055 (530) 520-5026 Kacklin' Sisters Kreations for Home & Garden HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE Fri, 12/5 ★ ★ 9am-8pm Sat, 12/6 ★ ★ 9am-5pm • REFRESHMENTS • GIFT DRAWING 604MainSt.,RedBluff (530) 529-5154 www.redblufflosmariachis.com atLosMariachisMexicanRestaurant Parties-Reunions Rehearsal Dinners Corporate and Private Events Bookyournext event today! Banquet Room | NEWS | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014 8 A