More than money at stake in University of California budget negotiations

The Sacramento Bee reports:

It started like any number of budget debates at the Capitol: The University of California argued that it has been shortchanged and students will have to bear more of its rising costs if the state doesn’t pay up.

But this year’s back-and-forth with Gov. Jerry Brown and lawmakers not only has unleashed unprecedented fiscal scrutiny of the 10-campus system, it has placed on the table the previously unthinkable option of stripping UC’s constitutional independence.

“Part of this is money,” said Steve Boilard, executive director of the Center for California Studies, who oversaw higher education policy in the Legislative Analyst’s Office for 14 years. “But there’s a more fundamental issue, which is who gets to call the shots. ... It’s a showdown.”

The outcome could change the university and its relationship with state government for years to come. Backlash to UC’s proposed tuition hike and enrollment policies has evolved into a broader philosophical clash, with state officials seeking more control over the direction of the university, its spending and educational decisions.

Government schools and the politicians that "control" them.