On May 2nd, Republican leaders in the California State Legislature, Brian Jones and James Gallaher, jointly called for budget cuts in universities, an end to funding for university management departments that do nothing, as well as funding students convicted of illegal activities or suspended from school.
Jones and Gallaher, in interviews with the press at the State Capitol, condemned the violent protests on college campuses in California and across the United States. They criticized university officials for not taking any action for days or even weeks, allowing the protests to escalate into lawless and violent behavior.
According to Gallaher, “It is unacceptable for university management to allow chaos to go on for weeks. We need to hold them accountable.” He emphasized that while all Californians have the right to express their views, when one resorts to violence, property damage, or infringing on the rights of others, their rights are forfeited. He also pointed out the harassment, intimidation, and attacks on Jewish students on campus, which hinder people’s right to education. Therefore, financial aid in California should not be given to those who trample on human rights.
Faced with ongoing campus demonstrations and violence, Governor Gavin Newsom has remained silent. Gallaher stated that over the past 10 years, university administrative departments have expanded exponentially (one of the reasons for significant tuition increases), yet officials have failed to fulfill their duty to protect students and campus safety during the ongoing conflicts.
Jones stated, “Any form of violence and illegal activities is not protected under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.” He stressed that the government must swiftly control the situation to ensure students have a safe learning environment.
Furthermore, Federal Congressman Kevin Kiley expressed concerns about the recent developments where new unrest has spread under the indulgence of university officials. He called for the cooperation between California universities and law enforcement to clear out camps, arrest wrongdoers, hold administrators accountable, and dismiss any faculty members engaged in illegal activities.
On May 2nd, the Los Angeles police dismantled a pro-Palestinian/anti-Semitic camp inside UCLA, leading to about 200 arrests. The individuals might face misdemeanor charges, and the campus buildings were vandalized and damaged during the incident.
The First Amendment of the Constitution grants individuals the freedom of speech, assembly, religion, press, and the right to petition the government for redress of grievances. Jones emphasized that recent events have shown a disregard and misinterpretation of the First Amendment. It does not give anyone the right to impede the First Amendment rights of others, disrupt student learning, set up barricades, commit acts of violence, or vandalize public streets.
According to videos from demonstrations at UCLA and other campuses, Jones mentioned that “the management not only tolerated protesters’ destruction but also provided supplies, making them complicit.” Campus police stood by and watched it happen.
Jones also stated, “Students who use California financial aid to attend school and become productive members of society should be rewarded.” However, there are those who do not take their studies seriously, and there are also agitators endangering the lives of Jewish students.
California is currently in debt of hundreds of billions of dollars in 2024, with a budget proposal released by the Governor in January indicating a $380 billion deficit. The Legislative Office estimates an even larger deficit in the formal budget to be announced in May. Gallaher emphasized the need for government cost-cutting, stating that many university staff with six-figure salaries have been idle during these weeks. Some of them should be let go.
Jones pointed out that schools have suffered losses amounting to millions of dollars. Considering that California allocates a significant amount of taxpayers’ money to public universities, he stressed, “Taxpayers should not fund management departments that have hesitated in upholding campus laws and order.”
Jones added, “We were elected by the community to legislate, never did we expect that we would have to oversee campus safety.” He mentioned being in talks with Democratic leaders in the legislature all week and receiving support from the Jewish Core Group within the legislature.
The two encouraged their Democratic colleagues to support the proposal to cut university budgets. Gallaher anticipated bipartisan cooperation on this matter, stating that accountability should be implemented throughout the budget process to ensure such situations do not occur again.