Gov. Newsom signs law to stop UC Berkeley enrollment cuts

Gavin Newsom has signed a law that will allow UC Berkeley to resume enrollment plans for about 5,000 California first-year students. Gavin Newsom signed legislation Monday that will rescue UC Berkeley from a court-ordered enrollment freeze and steep admission cuts and allow the university to resume plans to enroll more than 5,000 California first-year students. “On behalf of the thousands of students who will benefit from today’s vote, I want to thank California’s legislators for their quick and effective response,” UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ said in a statement. “Today’s action by the state Legislature affirms the University of California’s obligations under CEQA while also safeguarding the bright futures of thousands of hardworking prospective UC Berkeley students,” he said in a statement. We don’t want new students to have to live in cars, campers and hotel rooms like they are in Santa Barbara.” State Sen. Scott Wiener, who introduced a bill last month that would exempt public universities’ housing developments from California’s arduous environmental review process, said the issue Berkeley faced in relation to CEQA was not unique, and that the law has been used to prevent the developments of other housing and transportation projects.