The current base pay for Cal State campus presidents ranges from $370,000 to more than $500,000. San Jose State University President Cynthia Teniente-Matson is paid $474,840.

Cal State officials are projecting a 2025-26 budget hole of about $400 million to $800 million and warning of layoffs and cuts to academic programs. San Jose State has cut $55 million the past two years, by not hiring new staff and avoiding replacing non-faculty job openings.

The $31 million state program sends counselors out to foster families in crisis at all hours.

In his recent debate with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared that the state’s economy is “booming,” but a new report shows that it is actually slowing down.

There are 50,000 humanitarian reasons for the state to follow through on its funding commitment. There is also a powerful economic incentive.