BILL ANALYSIS �
SB 1062
Page 1
SENATE THIRD READING
SB 1062 (Liu)
As Amended May 8, 2012
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE :33-1
HIGHER EDUCATION 7-0
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|Ayes:|Block, Olsen, Achadjian, | | |
| |Brownley, Galgiani, | | |
| |Miller, Portantino | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Expands the existing authority of the California
Community Colleges (CCC) Board of Governors (BOG) to appoint
persons without permanent civil service status to vice
chancellor and assistant vice chancellor positions, if the
individuals meet specified criteria. Specifically, this bill :
1)Authorizes the BOG to appoint persons without permanent civil
service status to vice chancellor and assistant vice
chancellor positions, if the individual meets any of the
following:
a) Has a minimum of five years of work experience in any of
the following:
i) A local CCC;
ii) A higher education policy position; or,
iii) A technical or occupational capacity for which there
is a shortage of qualified workers.
b) Previously held permanent status in the civil service;
c) Was employed by the Legislature for two or more
consecutive years; or,
d) Held for two or more consecutive years one or more
nonelected exempt positions in the executive branch.
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2)Specifies the changes above do not limit the application of
any law applicable to career executive assignments, including
provisions of the Government Code and rules of the State
Personnel Board, except as to authorize appointments as
described above.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown. This bill is keyed non-fiscal by the
Legislative Counsel.
COMMENTS : Under current law, appointments to the CCC
Chancellor's executive management team are made by a
gubernatorial appointment or through the career executive
assignment (CEA) process. However, in past years, key
appointments from the Governor's office have often taken months
before being approved. As a state agency, the BOG also has the
authority to hire individuals who have, or had, permanent civil
service status, or former or nonelected, exempt executive
employees into a CEA position.
Need for this bill. According to the author, current law
precludes the appointment of individuals who may have
significant CCC, higher education, or industry-related
experience. The Chancellor needs the flexibility to hire the
most qualified individuals he or she can to fill leadership
positions in the Chancellor's office. Currently, the Chancellor
is limited to hiring from civil, legislative or nonelected
executive service, or going through the Governor's appointment
process, which can be lengthy, time consuming, and sometimes
fruitless. The delay has resulted in the loss of qualified
candidates and prolonged vacancies in key positions.
Who is affected? This bill expands the BOG authority to hire
persons outside the civil service into a position classified as
a CEA. According to the Chancellor's office, 11 vice chancellor
positions are currently eligible to be filled by persons outside
the civil service system. Three of these are currently
classified as CEA positions. Eight positions are classified as
exempt positions. The expanded authority would apply only to
those positions classified as CEAs.
Student success recommendations. At the direction of the
Legislature (SB 1143 (Liu), Chapter 409, Statutes of 2010), the
Chancellor established a task force to develop recommendations
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by early 2012 to promote and improve student success. The
20-member Student Success Task Force (SSTF) included CCC
leaders, faculty, students, researchers, staff, and external
stakeholders and spent a full year researching, studying, and
debating the best methods to improve student outcomes. Their
plan resulted in 22 recommendations that identify key strategies
to invest in student success and enable students to reach their
goals, including the recommendation for a stronger Chancellor's
office to improve sharing of data, common goal setting, and
fidelity to statewide efforts to improve student outcomes.
The Little Hoover Commission in its February 2012 report
recommended that the state strengthen the governance of the CCC
by creating a stronger, more independent Chancellor's office
that is empowered to establish policy directives, create
accountability metrics, and hire senior-level staff.
Opponents argue that adding the three prior experience options
would set a precedent, and the civil service process ensures an
ample pool of knowledgeable and qualified candidates.
Analysis Prepared by : Sandra Fried / HIGHER ED. / (916)
319-3960
FN: 0004158