Students Protest Budget Cuts, Proposed Fee Hikes At UC Riverside

RIVERSIDE (CBS) — Student protesters interrupted a Board of Regents meeting at U.C. Riverside Thursday morning.

Demonstrators, who are upset about proposed budget cuts and fee hikes, refused to stop talking after a 20-minute public comment period. Board member Sherry Lansing then asked police to clear the room.

The board is studying Gov. Jerry Brown's tax proposal, which will cut $300 million in education funding if tax increases for individuals making more than $250,000 a year aren't approved. Brown also wants to raise the state sales tax by .5 percent.

U.C. officials say they've done what they can, but their hands are tied.

"We've absorbed $750 million in cuts in the last year alone, and thanks to some good planning and good decisions by the regents, we're able to continue to assure access to California students," U.C. spokesperson Steve Montiel told CBS2.

Protesters disrupted one meeting and prompted the cancellation of another back in November.