If residents feel the system does not serve them, they will defund it, and everyone will be worse off. We have these things called Propositions, and they tend to elicit emotional responses. Most California residents are probably beginning to have a negative impression of UC...most of the news from UC is graft, corruption, etc
They are institutions which are less and less public funded, and heading in the direction of the fully privatized formerly public institutions in much of the country.
> If residents feel the system does not serve them, they will defund it
They've been effectively defunding UC and CSU for decades through a number of measures, particularly the Prop 98 mandate that forces nominal budget increases to go largely to K-14 education.
That defunding is actually at the root of many of the complaints against UC, including it's reliance on non-resident students and their higher tuition.
It's competitive, however it is anything but impossible to get admission into a UC. I'd consider the paths to getting in straight forward.
Either in highschool you are in the top 9% of students statewide, or top 9% in your local highschool if the school participates in the program. You are guaranteed an admission to at least one UC campus.
Didn't make it? Most community colleges offer guaranteed transfer agreements where you complete a requirement of classes and GPA, giving you an automatic admission.
And if this is still too much, there is the entire CSU system to consider.
This is true for business degrees especially -- it's all about making connections with people who can help you in your career for decades afterwards.
I think it applies to science and arts degrees too. Certainly if you stay in academia, having international academic connections can be very useful.