CHAPTER 8. California State University [66600. - 66611.]

Cal. Education Code - EDC 8.

in effect

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 66600. Section 66600.

The California State University shall be administered by a board designated as the Trustees of the California State University, which is hereby created.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 66601. Section 66601.

Whenever, in any law, the term “Trustees of the State College System of California” or “Trustees of the California State University,” or the term “chief executive officer of the state college system” is used, such terms shall be deemed to mean the Trustees of the California State University and the Chancellor of the California State University, respectively.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 66602. Section 66602.

(a) The board shall be composed of the following five ex officio members: the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Speaker of the Assembly, and the person named by the trustees to serve as the Chancellor of the California State University; a representative of the alumni associations of the state university, selected for a two-year term by the alumni council, California State University, which representative shall not be an employee of the California State University during the two-year term; and 16 appointive members appointed by the Governor and subject to confirmation by two-thirds of the membership of the Senate. (b) (1) Two students from the California State University, who shall have at least sophomore year standing at the institutions they attend, and who remain in good standing as students during their respective terms, shall also be appointed by the Governor to serve on the board for two-year terms. (2) In selecting students as members of the board, the Governor shall appoint the students from lists of names of at least two, but not more than five, persons furnished by the governing board of any statewide student organization that represents the students of the California State University and the student body organizations of the campuses of the California State University. Any appointment to fill a vacancy of a student member shall be effective only for the remainder of the term of the student member’s office that became vacated. (3) The term of office of one student member of the board shall commence on July 1 of an even-numbered year and expire on June 30 two years thereafter. The term of office of the other student member of the board shall commence on July 1 of an odd-numbered year and expire on June 30 two years thereafter. Notwithstanding paragraph (1), a student member who graduates from the student member’s college or university on or after January 1 of the second year of the student member’s term of office may serve the remainder of the term. If the Governor has not appointed a successor pursuant to this subdivision, a student member whose term of office expires on June 30 of any year may remain in office until January 1 of the following year, or until a successor is appointed by the Governor, whichever occurs first. (4) A student member shall have the student member’s tuition fee waived for the duration of the student member’s term of office. (c) (1) A faculty member from the California State University, who shall be tenured at the California State University campus at which the faculty member teaches, shall also be appointed by the Governor to serve on the board for a two-year term. In the selection of a faculty member as a member of the board, the Governor shall appoint the faculty member from a list of names of at least two persons furnished by the Academic Senate of the California State University. (2) The faculty member of the board appointed by the Governor pursuant to this subdivision shall not participate on any subcommittee of the board responsible for collective bargaining negotiations. (3) The two-year term of office of the faculty member of the board shall commence on July 1, and, if the Governor has not appointed a successor under paragraph (1), the faculty member may remain in office after the term expires for one additional year, or until a successor is appointed by the Governor, whichever occurs first. (d) (1) Members of the board shall be selected from outstanding lay citizens of California who have a strong interest in the further development and improvement of the California State University. (2) Members of the board, to the greatest extent possible, should be inclusive and representative of the many demographic groups found in California, and the board should reflect diversity of race and gender, and should include, among others, disabled persons and veterans. In furtherance of the mission of the California State University, a member of the board should embrace the basic role and responsibility of a member of the board to bring their own best thinking and personal views to the board’s discussion, determining their own position on each issue rather than being bound to represent or advocate for the positions of a particular organization or constituency.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 66602.5. Section 66602.5.

All meetings of the trustees shall, except as otherwise provided in Section 66602.7, be subject to Article 9 (commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 66602.7. Section 66602.7.

Notwithstanding Article 9 (commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code: (a) (1) Action taken by a committee of the trustees and final action by the full board of trustees, on a proposal for the compensation package of the following executive officers shall occur in an open session of each of those bodies, and shall include a disclosure of the compensation package and rationale for the action: (A) The Chancellor of the California State University. (B) The president of an individual campus. (C) A vice chancellor. (D) The treasurer. (E) The general counsel. (F) The trustees’ secretary. (2) Members of the public shall be afforded the opportunity to address the committee and full board on the proposal during or before consideration of the action item. (b) Discussion by a committee of the trustees of, and action on, an executive compensation program or policy, and any final action by the full board of trustees on that program or policy, shall occur in open session of each of those bodies. (c) Compensation for the principal officers of the trustees and the officers of the university shall include salary, benefits, perquisites, severance payments (except those made in connection with a dismissal or a litigation settlement), retirement benefits, or any other form of compensation.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 66603. Section 66603.

The term of the appointive trustees shall be eight years.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 66604. Section 66604.

The expiration of a trustee’s term of office as a member of the State Board of Education or any earlier vacancy in that office shall create a vacancy in his trusteeship, unless the term ascribed thereto by lot has already expired. In case of any vacancy on the board of trustees, the Governor shall appoint a successor for the balance of the term as to which such vacancy exists.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 66604.5. Section 66604.5.

Each appointive trustee shall receive actual and necessary travel expenses and one hundred dollars ($100) for each day he or she is attending to official business.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 66605. Section 66605.

If the trustees and the Regents of the University of California both consent, the Chancellor of the California State University shall sit with the Regents of the University of California in an advisory capacity and the President of the University of California shall sit with the trustees in an advisory capacity.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 66606. Section 66606.

The Trustees of the California State University shall succeed to the powers, duties, and functions with respect to the management, administration, and control of the state colleges heretofore vested in the State Board of Education or in the Director of Education, including all powers, duties, obligations, and functions specified in Article 2 (commencing with Section 90010) of Chapter 8 of Part 55, and all obligations assumed by the State Board of Education pursuant to that article prior to July 1, 1961. On and after July 1, 1961, the Trustees of the California State University shall have full power and responsibility in the construction and development of any state university campus, and any buildings or other facilities or improvements connected with the California State University. The powers shall be exercised by the Trustees of the California State University notwithstanding Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 14950) of Part 5.5 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code and Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 10100) of Part 2 of Division 2 of the Public Contract Code, except that the powers shall be carried out pursuant to Chapter 2.5 (commencing with Section 10700) of Part 2 of Division 2 of the Public Contract Code known as the California State University Contract Law. The Trustees of the California State University may accept gifts of land, or gifts of options on land, may accept and expend gifts of money for the purchase of land or options on land, and may enter into negotiations and contracts for the purchase of land for a future state university site in the vicinity of any of the areas specified in the recommendations contained in the Master Plan for Higher Education printed on page 42, paragraph 5, Senate Journal (Regular Session) for February 1, 1960, except that the gifts, expenditures, negotiations, and contracts shall not obligate the expenditure of any state funds for the purchase of the land or for development on the land, unless the Legislature subsequently approves the obligation by appropriating the funds for that specific purpose. Any acceptance, acceptance and expenditure, or negotiations and contract may be conditioned upon an automatic reversion back to the donor or automatic termination of the negotiations and contract if a new state university is not established at a specific site prior to a specific date designated by the trustees and the donor or the trustees and the person or corporation with whom the trustees are negotiating or contracting.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 66606.2. Section 66606.2.

Recognizing the unique mission and functions of the California State University among the departments, agencies, and boards of the state, it is the intent of the Legislature that both of the following occur: (a) Before legislation that, by its terms, applies to the state or its agencies, departments, or boards, may apply to the California State University, the legislation should be compatible with the mission and functions of the California State University. (b) The California State University not be governed by any statute enacted after January 1, 1997, that does not amend a previously applicable act and that applies generally to the state or to state agencies, departments, or boards, unless the statute expressly provides that the California State University is to be governed by that statute.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 66607. Section 66607.

The California State University shall be entirely independent of all political and sectarian influence and kept free therefrom in the appointment of its trustees and in the administration of its affairs, and no person shall be debarred admission to any department of the state university on account of sex.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 66609. Section 66609.

(a) All state employees employed on June 30, 1961, in carrying out functions transferred to the Trustees of California State University by this chapter, except persons employed by the Director of Education in the Division of State Colleges and Teacher Education of the State Department of Education, are transferred to the California State University. (b) Nonacademic employees transferred under this section shall retain their respective positions in the state service, together with the personnel benefits accumulated by them at the time of transfer, and shall retain the rights attached under the law to the positions that they held at the time of transfer. All nonacademic positions filled by the trustees on and after July 1, 1961, shall be by appointment made in accordance with Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 89500) of Part 55, and persons so appointed shall be subject to Chapter 5. (c) (1) The trustees shall provide, or cooperate in providing, academic and administrative employees transferred by this section with personnel rights and benefits at least equal to those accumulated by them as employees of the state colleges, except that any administrative employee may be reassigned to an academic or other position commensurate with his or her qualifications at the salary fixed for that position. An administrative employee so reassigned shall have a right to appeal from that reassignment, but only as to whether the position to which he or she is reassigned is commensurate with his or her qualifications. All academic and administrative positions filled by the trustees on and after July 1, 1961, shall be filled by appointment made solely at the discretion of the trustees. (2) The trustees shall establish and adjust the salaries and classifications of all academic, nonacademic, and administrative positions and neither Section 19825 of the Government Code nor any other provision of law requiring approval by a state officer or agency for salaries or classifications shall be applicable thereto. In establishing and adjusting salaries, consideration shall be given to the maintenance of the state university in a competitive position in the recruitment and retention of qualified personnel in relation to other educational institutions, private industry, or public jurisdictions that are employing personnel with similar duties and responsibilities. (3) The establishment and adjustment of salaries for nonacademic employees shall be in accordance with the standards prescribed in Section 19826 of the Government Code. The trustees, however, shall make no adjustments that require expenditures in excess of existing appropriations available for the payment of salaries. Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 89500) of Part 52, relating to appeals from dismissal, demotion, or suspension, shall be applicable to academic employees. (d) Persons excluded from the transfer made by this section shall retain all the rights and privileges conferred upon civil service employees by law. Personnel of state agencies employed in state university work other than those transferred by this section, and who are employed by the trustees prior to July 1, 1962, shall be provided with personnel rights and benefits at least equal to those accumulated by them as employees of those state agencies. (e) If the provisions of this section are in conflict with the provisions of a memorandum of understanding reached pursuant to Chapter 12 (commencing with Section 3560) of Division 4 of Title 1 of the Government Code, the memorandum of understanding shall be controlling without further legislative action, except that, if the provisions of a memorandum of understanding require the expenditure of funds, the provisions shall not become effective unless approved by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 66610. Section 66610.

The California State University shall comply with Section 668.18(c)(1)(ii) of Title 34 of the Code of Federal Regulations, as that section read on July 1, 2010. The Trustees of the California State University may adopt regulations to implement this section.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 66611. Section 66611.

(a) The California State University may require employees, prospective employees, volunteers, contractors, and subcontractors, to undergo a fingerprint-based state and national criminal history background check. (b) The California State University shall electronically submit to the Department of Justice fingerprint images and related information for individuals specified in subdivision (a) who are subject to a state and national criminal history background check, pursuant to subdivision (u) of Section 11105 of the Penal Code. The Department of Justice shall provide a state- and federal-level response pursuant to subdivision (p) of Section 11105 of the Penal Code.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026