While the Cal State and UC systems received more money in 2023, they still face financial challenges. And they also must address labor strife.

The strike in the first week of a new semester could be called off if both sides reach an agreement in contract talks Jan. 8-12, the union said.

Faculty members at California State University campuses also are at impasse in labor negotiations.

Student workers at the 23-campus CSU system say their pay is low, their hours are restricted and they get no sick pay. They are hoping to join the employees union to fix that.

During the first year of the program, SJSU is offering guaranteed admission to 14 majors, including many in sought-after fields of study, including business, engineering, public health, political science and child and adolescent development. 

While the numbers of transfers to four-year colleges are increasing, still fewer than 15% of local community college students take steps towards undergraduate degrees, according to CalMatters.

Community college officials said that the UC and Cal State universities rejected nearly 30,000 eligible community college applicants in the fall of 2020 — more than enough transfers to meet the community colleges system’s goal.

Breaking from over a decade of traditionally not raising tuition, Cal State leaders last week released a proposal that would start annual increases at every one of the 23 CSU campuses beginning in the fall of 2024 as the only way to make up a shortfall between operating costs and revenues.

Increasing CSU tuition up to $8,000 over a five-year period by 2030 might not be enough to cover the system's spending, as faculty press for 12% pay increases.

Undergraduate student assistants at California State University are mounting a union organizing campaign, calling for more work hours, paid sick time and higher wages.

UC leaders continue to resist a systemwide admission guarantee similar to the Associate Degree for Transfer program that offers community college students a guaranteed spot at the 23-campus California State University system.

Restorative justice is a controversial process that brings together the student who was harmed, the person who harmed them and the community to seek solutions.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo faces a backlash over the hiring of former Cal State Chancellor Joseph Castro for a faculty position. Castro resigned the chancellorship in the wake of a scandal over how he handled sexual harassment allegations against a top administrator.

California colleges often reduce financial aid to students when they earn private grants, a practice known as scholarship displacement. A new state law bans the practice for low-income students starting next fall.

A last-minute bill would force Cal State to give non-faculty staff raises, costing the system almost $900 million over 10 years — money the system says it doesn’t have. Cal State may be forced to cut programs at San Jose State and other campuses and raise tuition if it doesn’t get enough state money.

 a 2019 state law that requires student health care services clinics on California State University and University of California campuses to offer abortion by medication. It goes into effect in 2023 but does not include the state's community colleges.