Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. The California State University board approved a 12 percent tuition hike, raising annual student fees to $6,422 — double what it was just four years ago, the Chron and CoCo Times report. The new fee hike for this fall comes on top of a 10 percent increase that was already approved, meaning tuition will be more than 20 percent higher than last year. The massive fee hikes are the result of $650 million in cuts to the CSU system this year by Governor Jerry Brown and the state Democrats to balance the state budget. The huge tuition increases also are making it increasingly difficult for low-and middle-income students to get a college degree in California.
2. California continues to lead the nation in green jobs, according to a new study from the Brookings Institution, the LA Times and Mercury News report. Statewide, 320,000 people are employed in green jobs, and nationwide, the clean economy employs 2.7 million people — more than the fossil fuels industry. But the new study is sure to spark controversy because it uses an expansive definition of green jobs to include mass transit and green waste management.
