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Chancellor's Office seeks exemption from state reductions, warns of operational strain
Summary
The subcommittee reviewed targeted reductions to the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office staffing and operations. The Chancellor's Office asked the Legislature to consider exempting it from some reductions, citing impacts to oversight, technical assistance and legal capacity.
Justin Hurst (Department of Finance) summarized the 2024 budget act's control-section reductions and their allocation to the Chancellor's Office: $2.2 million non-Proposition 98 in the current year and $1.2 million ongoing starting in the budget year tied to statewide vacancy and operations reductions. Hurst noted position authority was not reduced, but control section savings were allocated.
Chris Ferguson and other Chancellor's Office witnesses said the cuts reduce capacity for oversight, technical assistance, procurement and legal support, and asked the Legislature to consider exempting the office from some reductions. Ferguson noted the Chancellor's Office is the smallest of the three higher education system offices and has a small legal team; he said an additional attorney focused on federal issues would be helpful.
Members asked for comparative context across other state agencies and for specific counts of legal staff; the Chancellor's Office said it currently has roughly five to six lawyers and a small vacancy rate. The subcommittee left the issue open to consider whether and how to mitigate reductions that could affect system oversight and support for colleges.
