Students march on Capitol

An estimated 2,000 public university and community college students from around the state marched from Raley Field over the Tower Bridge (pictured here) to the Capitol building downtown on Monday (April 21) to protest proposed budget cuts to higher education. About 25 people from Chico State joined the group.

At the Capitol, they were “loud and energized,” in the words of veteran Capitol reporter Frank Russo. “Folks working inside their offices three blocks away could hear students chanting, as could those inside the Capitol.”

Their message: Higher education is an investment that pays big dividends. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed trimming the community colleges by $418 million, the UC system by $332 million, and the CSU by $313 million. He will present a revised version of his budget in May.