LOS ANGELES – With bipartisan support, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously passed a resolution yesterday, 12 to 0, endorsing the Middle Class Scholarship Act (AB 1500 and 1501) introduced by Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez (D-Los Angeles).

“The Speaker’s bills would go a long way toward restoring the middle class in California,” said City Council President Wesson, who introduced the resolution with Councilmember Tony Cardenas. “We need to make sure that higher education is affordable for all Californians, and that our students have all the opportunities that they deserve.”

“I’d like to thank the Speaker for his leadership on the Middle Class Scholarship Act,” said Councilmember Cardenas said. “The backdrop of this legislation is that over the last nine years to attend a public university students now have to pay three times as much as they did nine years ago.”

“I am very pleased to receive the unanimous support of the Los Angeles City Council for the Middle Class Scholarship Act, which will cut student fees by two-thirds for middle class families” Speaker Pérez said.  “The City Council recognizes that our future prosperity is directly tied to restoring access and affordability of higher education for every person in California.”

The resolution recognizes the much needed financial relief for middle class families who are sending one or more children to California colleges, stating that CSU tuition has skyrocketed 191% over the past 9 years and UC tuition has risen 145%, giving many students thousands of dollars of debt after they graduate.

The Middle Class Scholarship Act plans to cut college fees by two-thirds for families who make less than $150,000 a year, but too much to qualify for financial aid. The act will be paid for by closing the Single Sales Factor loophole, a tax break benefitting out-of-state corporations, which will bring in more than $1 billion.

Under the act, CSU students will save $4,000 per year or $16,000 over a four-year period, UC students will save about $8,200 per year or nearly $33,000 over a four-year period, and Community College students will see their costs reduced significantly as well. According to estimates, 150,000 CSU students and 42,000 UC students would be eligible. Community Colleges would receive $150 million to reduce costs for students.

For more information on the proposal, go to www.MiddleClassScholarship.com.

Website of Speaker John A. Pérez: www.asmdc.org/speaker

CONTACT: John Vigna (916) 319-2408