State Treasurer Phil Angelides told faculty, students and their parents at Los Angeles City College that if elected, he’ll do whatever it takes to make sure secondary education is a possibility for every Californian who wants it.

The stop at LACC — one of the many stops to promote his new Bush-Schwarzenegger index, the most recent Angelides campaign attempt to rally lower- and middle-class support just 70 days before the California gubernatorial election — was met with intense support.

The index compares the $4,422 annual cost for a middle-class family of four with a child in the California State University system to the $556 million in profits brought in by oil, HMO and drug companies each day in California.

My parents didn’t have the ability to help me pay for college, Angelides said to about 25 students who nodded, identifying with him, with some yelling out in accordance.

I’m here because of a society that believed we were all stronger and richer if we help each other out. I believe that is now being washed away by George Bush in Washington and Arnold Schwarzenegger in Sacramento.

The recent attention on college tuition hikes comes in response to questions posed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s campaign, which on Tuesday posed to Angelides why he hadn’t said anything on the subject as public college costs escalated in 2003 under Gov. Gray Davis.

University of California and California State University fees rose 14 percent in 2004-05, rose 8 percent in 2005-06 and are holding steady in 2006-07, the San Mateo County Times reported Wednesday. It added that community college fees rose 44 percent in 2004-05, but held steady in 2005-06 and are dropping 23 percent in 2006-07.

Calling the climbing tuition rate a tax on the lower and middle class, Angelides said his plan to cut back college tuition across the state will not detriment private research universities like USC.

It shouldn’t affect private schools at all, Angelides said. Our goal is to close the loop holes in a system that gives major California corporations tax breaks and exemptions and make up for lowering the tuition there.

Angelides did, however, make one thing clear: The tax cuts benefiting families bringing in more than $100,000 per year will decrease under his administration.

Governor Schwarzenegger and President Bush talk about the economy growing, but all the benefits are going to the wealthiest 1 percent in this country.

It now takes $2,200 more to go to a CSU each year. Things are upside down. I’m running for governor for one simple reason. That reason is I want to stop the gravy train of special-interest tax breaks and corporate perks, Angelides said.

Asked for his opinion on Assembly Bill 1381 that would put Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa at the helm of Los Angeles Unified School District schools, pending approval from Schwarzenegger, he said he has no stance on that issue and added that it is a matter for the mayor to resolve.

Copyright ©2006 Daily Trojan via CSTV U-Wire

The opinions expressed in any content posted on Copyboy.com, UWIRE.com or Uwiretoday.com, whether expressed in text, photographs, graphics, cartoons, do not necessarily reflect the opinions of CSTV U-WIRE, CSTV Online, or any of its divisions, subsidiaries or employees. Any content distributed via Copyboy or CSTV U-WIRE is protected by copyright.

Copyboy and CSTV U-WIRE are divisions of CSTV Online, Inc.