Chancellor García Faced Scrutiny at State Capitol for Mismanagement and Lack of Transparency

Just days before the Sonoma State public legislative forum, legislators met with administrative leaders from the CSU, UC, and California community college systems at the State Capitol to discuss Governor Newsom’s proposed 7.95 percent budget cuts as well as strategies for maintaining the core missions of the universities, which include access and affordability.

During the hearing, Assemblymember Chris Rogers was quick to raise concern over Chancellor García’s attempts to shift blame for the CSU’s budgetary challenges away from herself and her administration.

García, who first claimed she was working with the community on a new plan, quickly backpedaled and corrected herself, replacing the word “community” with “the president.” She was referring to Sonoma State President Emily Cutrer, who was drafting a plan that would only be shared with community members after it was finalized.

Rogers expressed frustration over this. “If we’re going to see [cuts] at seven other campuses, I hope your office recognizes what a terrible rollout this has been. You say, ‘In six months after we announce this plan, we’ll tell you what it is moving forward.’ “

A Sonoma State graduate himself, Rogers shared that he does not believe the Chancellor’s Office “appropriately values how much these campuses mean to the communities.”

“You were in my office three days before you announced the cuts and you didn’t mention them to me,” Rogers said. “You have a congressman that’s represented the campus for 33 years who got a phone call half an hour before the announcement. My concern is that as you move forward and try to stabilize the CSU system, you view us not as partners, but as an unnecessary hurdle.”

Rogers also underscored the especially concerning “death spiral,” emphasizing that reducing 20-25 percent of Sonoma State employees would only accelerate the decline of enrollment and further exacerbate the university’s problems.

In another attempt to deflect blame, García stated that the new plan would only eliminate courses that students don’t care about, courses that – in her view – don’t offer a “return on investment.” Instead, she plans to strengthen programs in fields of information technology, business, and bioscience, all the while claiming that she is open to collaboration with the community to support these changes.

“It threatens to dismantle a vital pipeline of professionals who ensure public safety, manage water resources, and help mitigate the effects of natural disasters.”

– Matty Mookerjee, CFA Sonoma member and Sonoma State professor

However, by implying that education is only worthwhile if there is a profit to be made, García completely misses the mark on the broader educational value that the CSU offers so many of our students.

When Rogers criticized García for her ongoing lack of transparency with the community, he asked her whether now, moving forward, legislators and stakeholders would be part of creating the plan. García replied no by saying, “[Cutrer] will share the plan with you.”

In his testimony at the hearing, Matty Mookerjee, CFA Sonoma member and Sonoma State professor, quickly challenged García’s claim that only unwanted programs would be closed. “I learned about the elimination of my [Geology] Department through a mass e-mail. Unlike what Chancellor García said, my program has students and we’ve been increasing enrollment in the last two years, and we are at near-pre-COVID levels in our classroom enrollment. This decision was made without consultation, without transparency, and without regard to the critical role that geoscientists play in our community. It threatens to dismantle a vital pipeline of professionals who ensure public safety, manage water resources, and help mitigate the effects of natural disasters.”

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CFA Sonoma member Don Rhomsberg also disputed García’s claims that education’s sole purpose was to serve as a financial return. “There are LGBTQ students, women of color, first-generation college students, survivors of sexual violence, in addition to neurodivergent students who access our interdisciplinary curriculum focused on intersectional feminism and trauma-informed pedagogies. They will not be retained by the institution.”

If the program cuts happen, Rhomsberg, a professor with 20 years at Sonoma State, will be one of nearly a dozen faculty in the Women’s and Gender Studies Department who will lose their jobs.

Garcia, having only been in the chancellor’s seat for 14 months, has caused significant harm to the reputation of the CSU and, more importantly, to the wellbeing of our students, whose futures are now at stake.

Manufactured austerity is already sweeping through the CSU, leaving many campuses in its wake. CFA members, alongside the entire CSU community, must act now to prevent the cuts and ensure that management’s damage does not become irreparable.