UC-AFT Works to Block Legislative Confirmation of Regent Zettel

UC-AFT and the UC union coalition are continuing our work to block confirmation by the State Senate of UC Regent designate Charlene Zettel.  Zettel is a former republican State Assembly member from east San Diego County.

UC-AFT has decide to encourage legislators to block Zettel's confirmation due to her recent vote to increase student fees by 32%, and her refusal to commit support for joint governance of UCRP. Here is a brief account by Karen Sawislak and Axel Borg of a recent meeting to discuss joint governance of UCRP between the UC union coalition, Zettel, and Darrel Steinberg.  Zettel also has an anti-union, anti-worker and anti-enviroment voting record from her time as an assembly member in the early 2000's.  

Click here to see the AFL-CIO voting record for Zettel in 2002.

Click here to see a letter from Bill Camp of the Sacramento Central Labor Council to Darrell Steinberg, urging Senator Steinberg to vote no on Zettel's confirmation. 

This is the first time that the UC union coalition has contested a Regent's confirmation.  Zettel is undergoing confirmation after having sat for a year as a Regent, so she is on record as having voted for the fee increase, and refusing to make a commitment for joint governance of the pension fund. Zettel voted for fee increases that are a key element of a larger movement by the Regents to privatize UC.  This is an important and unique opportunity to send the Regents the message that we do not accept their vision of a downsized and privatized UC.

Call These Senators Today May 6th

The Senators below need to hear from us. They need to know that we are holding them all accountable for their actions against workers at the UC.

VOTE NO on ZETTEL.

Sen. Gil Cedillo (UCLA)
District Office
617 South Olive Street
Suite 710
Los Angeles,  CA  90014

Sen. Carol Liu
District Office
710 S. Central Ave, #310
Glendale, CA 91204
Phone: (818) 409-0400
Fax: (818) 409-1256

Sen. Jenny Orpopeza (UCLA)
District Office
2512 Artesia Blvd., #200
Redondo Beach, CA
90278-3279
Phone: (310) 318-6994
Fax: (310) 318-6733

Sen. Alex Padilla (UCLA)
Phone:  818-901-5588
Fax:  818-901-5562
6150 Van Nuys Blvd., #400
Van Nuys,  CA  91401

Sen. Denise Ducheny (UCSD)
637 3rd Ave.,
Suite A-1
Chula Vista,  CA  91910
(619) 409-7690
(619) 409-7688 fax

Sen. Darrel Steinberg (UCD)
Phone:  (916) 651-4006
Fax:  (916) 323-2263
State Capitol, Room 205
Sacramento,  CA  95814

Sen. Gloria Negrete-McLeod (UCR)
Montclair Office
4959 Palo Verde Street, Suite 110B
Montclair, CA
91763
Phone: (909) 621-2783
Fax: (909) 621-7483

E-mail Your State Senator

Please send your local state senator an e-mail asking them to vote no on Zettel's confirmation.  Below is a sample e-mail that you can cut and paste.  Please forward this to your colleagues, students, and friends.

You can find your local Senator's contact information here:  http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html   Type in your zip code, click the name of the Senator, click their "Contact Us" button, then paste the sample e-mail or write your own message.  This whole process should take one minute or less.  Thank you!

Sample E-mail

Dear Senator xxx, 

The Senate will be soon be voting on the confirmation of Charlene Zettel as a UC Regent.  I'm writing to ask you to vote no on Zettel's confirmation.  Zettel was appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger in 2009 and has voted against the interests of UC's educational mission.  Zettel voted to increase student fees by 32% over a one year period, and she has refused to commit to supporting joint governance of the UC pension fund, which is currently managed entirely by the Regents with no employee representation.

Also, Zettel's voting record from her time as an California Assembly member is decidedly anti-worker.  In these budgetary times, we need leaders in the UC that can effectively work with legislators in Sacramento, that understand the value of transparency, and that ultimately will work to restore our great public university,  not parcel it out to private interests.

Please block Zettel's confirmation.   Help keep UC a vital public institution!