11:15am | University of California (UC) system President Mark Yudof and UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi will join other UC and California State University (CSU) officials, police oversight experts, and student representatives in testifying before a December 14 joint legislative hearing looking into UC and CSU system-wide policies and procedures regarding non-violent protests and campus police use-of-force rules.

Senator Alan Lowenthal, chair of the Senate Education Committee, and Assemblymember Marty Block, chair of the Assembly Higher Education Committee, have called the hearing in response to a number of incidents  at UC Davis and UC Berkeley where peaceful student protesters were doused with pepper spray and battered with batons by UC campus police officers.

“Something is wrong with a system where our children and students, struggling peacefully to have their voices heard, are answered by the spray of chemical weapons and the sting of a truncheon. It is imperative that we have a unified policy on the appropriate response to peaceful campus protests and on the use of force by campus police,” Lowenthal said.

“It is the responsibility of the university to provide a safe environment for our students to learn and participate in activities on campus,” Block said. “It is also the responsibility of the university to foster a climate that promotes free expression of ideas on campus. We as the legislature must ensure that the proper procedures are in place to protect both campus safety and student free speech.”

Set to testify before the committee on use-of-force policies, procedures and response are Barbara Attard, a recognized expert citizen oversight of police agencies and representatives of the American Civil Liberties Union; CSU Executive Vice Chancellor Ben Quillian; and CSU chief law enforcement officer Nate Johnson will join in offering testimony on UC and CSU system-wide policies and procedures regarding campus demonstrations.

UC Davis Chancellor Katehi and CSU Fresno President John Welty will offer testimony on specific campus policies and procedures regarding use of force against demonstrators.

In addition, the respective presidents of the UC Student Association and CSU Associated Students will speak on the policies and procedures that are followed by student groups when organizing demonstrations.

The hearing will be held at 10:00am on December 14 in Room 4203 of the State Capitol.