Several state lawmakers, including Assemblymember Dante Acosta, R-Santa Clarita, are looking to limit the authority of the President of the University of California system through a legislative amendment.

Proposed by Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva, D-Orange County, the amendment would require the UC president to report expenditure information to the regents, governor and Legislature and would strip the president’s voting power on the board of regents.

“California taxpayers, and university families, have had enough of a bloated, autocratic UC system that is out-of-control, and unaccountable to anyone,” said Quirk-Silva. “We need to send a message demanding transparency, and accountability, in our publicly-funded university finances, especially as the regents consider yet another tuition increase.”

The amendment would also limit the terms for the governing UC regents from 12 years to four years. It would also limit compensation for non-faculty employees to $200,000 per year, according to a statement from Quirk-Silva’s office.

Higher salaries for these employees, such as football and basketball coaches for UCLA and Berkeley, would need to be approved during a public hearing.

“We have not yet taken a formal position on the amendment, though we have some concerns based on our initial review,” UC spokeswoman Stephanie Beechem said. “UC is fully committed to transparency and accountability in our budgeting and accounting practices.”

Standing alongside Quirk-Silva stood Assemblymember Acosta, who said that his support for this type of initiative reaching the ballot began last year, following an audit of the UC System.

Acosta cited a state audit last year that found misleading and unclear budgeting practices by the UC president’s office as evidence that the president’s power should be curbed.

“Last year, I asked President Napolitano about this $170 million slush fund that was reported in the UC’s budget,” Acosta told KHTS Wednesday. “And while some of it could be accounted for, a significant portion of it could not be.”

Acosta said the amendment was only possible due to a bipartisan effort to closely examine what appeared to be “double-counted” funds.

“What it appears to be is a number of people in President Napolitano’s office are not accountable,” Acosta said. “There’s a massive lack of transparency with some people in the UC system.”

To be enacted, the amendment would require support from two-thirds of the California Legislature and approval by voters via a ballot measure. The initiative is far down the pipeline and will likely not make it on this year’s 2018 ballot, Acosta said. But it will remain a high priority for his office.

“The UC system is the crown jewel of not only California’s education system, but the country’s,” Acosta said. “It’s sad that some people have taken advantage of that.”

The amendment unveiled Tuesday is the latest effort in a series of attempts by lawmakers to curb the UC system’s power. In 2017, the Legislature and Gov. Jerry Brown set aside $50 million for the system, contingent on the implementation of recommendations put forth in the 2017 audit.

In his budget proposal for the next fiscal year, Brown has advocated reducing UC system funding if it raises tuition.

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