Assembly Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color, 4/28/2026
On April 28th, 2026, the Assembly held their Select Committee hearing on the Status of Boys and Men of Color. Speaking on behalf of our Campaign to Reinvest in Higher Education was César, “che” Rodriguez. Ph.D. Che is an Associate Professor of Race & Resistance Studies at San Francisco State University, and a Rank & File Member of the California Faculty Association (CFA). CFA is a leader, along with CJC, and the Alliance for Boys and Men of Color on this multi-year campaign to use prison savings closure monies to support higher education in California.
Below is the statement read by Dr. Rodriguez at the hearing. Make sure you also follow our campaign and sign up for updates if you haven’t already.
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César, “che” Rodriguez. Ph.D speaking at the Assembly Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color, 4/28/2026
My name is Cesar Rodriguez, and I am an Associate Professor of Race & Resistance Studies at San Francisco State University. I am also a rank-and-file member of the California Faculty Association, the union that represents nearly 29,000 knowledge and care workers across all 23 California State University campuses. We serve approximately 470,000 students statewide: roughly 75 percent of which are students of color, 57 percent are Pell-eligible (which is to say, they are working-class), and about 40 percent self-identify as men.
Our collective ability to serve all of our students has been systematically undermined by the State of California’s longstanding commitment to mass incarceration over public higher education over the past four decades. This past fiscal year is a key example of this broader trend, as California spent approximately 1.6 times more on California State prisons than on Cal State universities. Specifically, the state allocated $14.5 billion to caging some 90,000 people while providing just $8.9 billion to educating 470,000 students. That is a difference of $5.6 billion.
CSU administrators also bear responsibility for their own budgetary priorities. CSU administration has decreased spending on direct instruction and student wellness, down from 50% in 1990 down to 34% most recently. Meanwhile, the CSU’s administrators have increased spending on administrator salaries, an investment portfolio that is worth more than $8 billion, and policing.
As a result, CSU students need to work more hours, take on greater debt, and pay higher tuition, only to receive fewer course offerings and larger class sizes. And at some campuses, like San José State University, there are more administrators (340) than counselors (18). At other campuses, like Cal State East Bay, there are more campus police officers (26) than counselors (10).
More importantly, I want to share this excellent opportunity to improve access to higher education in California. The State of California currently has approximately 15,000 empty prison beds, and that number continues to grow. In fact, the California Legislative Analyst’s Office recommended shutting down at least five (5) state prisons, which would save $1 billion annually.
As such, rank-and-file members of the California Faculty Association are building a campaign to:
- Close at least five (5) state prisons;
- Repurpose those facilities to benefit local communities and prevent their sale and use for future incarceration by either private companies or the federal government;
- Redirect the resulting savings to the California State University system, specifically to support instruction and student services — not to fund administrative salaries, investment portfolios, or policing.
