Rally at Sonoma State over planned cuts of faculty, majors, athletics

SONOMA, Calif. - The California Faculty Association, students and other unions held a 1 p.m. rally at Sonoma State University on Friday ahead of an on-campus legislative forum with several lawmakers that will discuss planned cuts to the school and the California State University system. 

Sonoma State administrators announced in late January that the school was facing a $23.9 million deficit in the 2025-26 fiscal year. To address the shortfall, the school announced it would implement layoffs, eliminate academic departments and majors, and stop funding all of its athletic programs. 

Gov. Gavin Newsom also proposed reducing the overall CSU system's budget by about $375 million for the 2025-26 fiscal year. 

"Instead of making sure students, faculty and staff have what they need to thrive, we know the CSU will make budget cuts, forcing faculty, students, and staff to do more with less," CFA president Charles Toombs said in a statement released after the governor's proposal in January. 

Sonoma State University campus

Sonoma State administrators said layoffs would include 46 faculty positions, four management positions, 12 staff, and lecturers. The CFA said that number included 55 lecturers. In all, 117 positions could be eliminated. 

Sonoma State interim president Emily Cutrer said in a press release announcing the cuts on Jan. 22 that a projected deficit of $21 million last October had grown worse and cited a 38% decline in enrollment over the last decade as one of several factors impacting the university's financial outlook. 

"The university has had a budget deficit for several years. It is attributable to a variety of factors -- cost of personnel, annual price increases for supplies and utilities, inflation -- but the main reason is enrollment. Student tuition and fees, combined with enrollment-based funding from the California State University, are major revenue components in the university budget," Cutrer said. 

The cuts have drawn pushback from unions representing faculty and other employees. Athletic coaches formed a group called Save Seawolves Athletics and filed a federal civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Education. 

"We believe that the decision to eliminate athletics must be reversed, and that alternatives should be explored within the broader university budget that do not negatively impact marginalized students to such an extent," a spokesperson for Save Seawolves Athletics said in a press release announcing the complaint. 

The complaint alleges that students were denied due process and faulted the university for what is said was a lack of transparency and engagement with stakeholders such as coaches and athletes. 

Friday's rally organized by the CFA was held at Seawolf Plaza. Unions including Teamsters Local 2010, CSU Employees Union, and United Auto Workers Local 4123 participated, along with the student organization Students for Quality Education. 

The CSU system administrators may not have accounted for the huge growing grassroots reactions to the ‘take it or leave it’ dictate crudely delivered by email to faculty, staff and students. 

"I think as along as we all stick together and we fight for what we believe in, we will win," said philosophy student, Colette Cadeaux, who attended the rally. 

The CFA gathered 13,000 signatures for a petition calling for a reversal of the cuts. 

The university plans to eliminate 23 academic majors and masters' programs, including bachelor's degrees in earth and environmental sciences, geology and physics, along with masters in English, Spanish and history, among others. 

Departments slated to close include art history, economics, geology, and others. 

The legislative forum was held at 2 p.m. at the school's student center ballroom. The forum was co-chaired by state Sen. Christopher Cabaldon, D-Davis, and Assemblymember Damon Connolly, D-San Rafael. 

The forum was attended by U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, Assemblymember Chris Rogers, D-Santa Rosa, and several other lawmakers, along with representatives from the CSU Chancellor's Office, Sonoma State, and student organizations. 

More than 500 people attended. 

Rogers said in an email that the forum would be the "first meaningful opportunity for the community to have their voice heard." 

He said lawmakers will also seek answers from the administration on what the "comeback plan" would be and how the community could be involved in those discussions. 

"The cuts will have far reaching impacts to the students, faculty, employees and surrounding businesses in the community," he said. 

He said lawmakers will push back on the governor's proposed cuts and seek to stabilize the entire CSU system. 

"Seemingly out of nowhere, we get notice that they're making these drastic cuts. They're putting kids at risk, faculty at risk; hurting our entire community," said North Bay Rep. Mike Thompson. 

"Sonoma State has the third-fastest degree completion rate in the state of California. This is the gem for the state of California. They simply can't cut their way out of it," said North Bay State Senator President Pro Tem Mike McGuire.

By imposing a cut first and ask questions later, the CSU command staff put itself in a corner but can still get help. 

"We want to see a plan. How do they 'rightsize' this operation. What to they need to do? What programs do they need to grow? What partnerships do they have to facilitate in the community in order to provide academic opportunities for students? What are they gonna do to fix this?" asked Congressman Thompson.

"Of course, the state of California will invest, but we need a plan to know what we're investing in. Cuts and cuts only will not work," said Senator McGuire.

KTVU's Tom Vacar contributed to this story. 
 

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