The Fresno Bee ran an op-ed piece in Sunday's paper by Selma farmer Carol Chandler, a former UC Regent and UC Davis graduate, and Huron farmer Stuart Woolf, a UC Berkeley graduate. They made the case that California can't afford to not fund the UC system. They noted that a recent government report on "Investment Planning in the 21st Century" raises the possibility of eliminating all state funding for the UC system.
In their article, the writers said the proposal doesn't make sense to them. "If the recommendations in the report are implemented, UC Merced, and the other nine campuses that make up the world's greatest public research university, will be at risk," the article says.
The piece goes on to explain the many benefits Valley residents have realized due to University of California agricultural research and extension, a new local campus and UC health care contributions.
The article concludes: "The University of California is a public trust, and our legislators should help the Valley grow by reaffirming their commitment for sustained and substantial funding for our public university."