Budget Cuts Slam California's Communty Colleges:
Students March on Sacramento
By Ricardo Torres

Thousands of community college students united on the steps of the Sacramento State Capitol on March 17, 2003, to rebuff fall's 2003 tuition increases and budget cuts proposed by Governor Gray Davis. The approximate ten thousand voices that arrived on the State Capitol steps proved to be one of the largest crowds in history to congregate at Sacramento. Legislators took notice and some came out to speak with the crowd, promising to support their colleges during budget negotiations.

In an effort to be heard by the California State Capitol legislators, students loaded onto buses at various college campuses and headed to Sacramento. Students, counselors, advisors, and teachers sacrificed their jobs, bodies, classes, and money spent on meals in this two-day demonstration. The Sacramento School District demonstrated their solidarity when they provided thousands of student's access to showers and gymnasium floors to sleep on.

Legislators, teachers, community leaders, and students rallied in efforts to keep community college budget cuts to a minimum and tuition prices affordable. The future of Los Angeles Trade Technical College, along with other California community colleges, is threatened by the proposed budget. Rally leaders acknowledged that demonstrations of this kind in the past have convinced legislators to keep tuition costs affordable. The general consensus was that this rally alone would not convince Gray Davis to change his proposed budget. Speakers at the rally stated that another Sacramento State Capitol rally is essential in order for Governor Gray Davis and the rest of the legislators to consider revising the budget in favor of community colleges. Organizers have scheduled the next Sacramento State Capitol rally for Saturday April 5, 2003