Senate Leader Atkins Praises Passage of SB 118, Senator Skinner’s Dedication to Helping UC Berkeley Students

March 14, 2022

SACRAMENTO – Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego) released the following statement today regarding the Senate’s approval of SB 118, a bill that addresses environmental review of California’s public higher education campuses’ long-term development plans, and Senator Skinner’s commitment to helping future UC Berkeley students.

“SB 118 is not only an example of the Legislature acting quickly to ensure that our students’ needs were put ahead of a narrow set of interests, but also highlights Senator Skinner’s leadership. Earlier this month, we were presented with the immense challenge of how to help more than 2,600 prospective UC Berkeley students secure a spot at the university given the court-ordered enrollment freeze due to a misguided lawsuit. Today, thanks to the fierce dedication of Senator Nancy Skinner, we were able to vote on a solution. Balancing dual roles as both our Senate Budget & Fiscal Review Committee Chair and the Senator who represents the Berkeley community, Senator Skinner wrote a bill that will single-handedly ensure that our state’s future students won’t have their college dreams deferred or delayed. Since the California Supreme Court decision, Senator Skinner has worked on this issue around the clock with attorneys, staff, and stakeholders, eventually penning the bill language herself. For every roadblock, she found a solution. For every no, she found a yes. That’s true leadership.”

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Toni G. Atkins is President pro Tempore of the California Senate. Having previously served as Speaker of the California Assembly, she began her tenure in the Senate in 2016. As Senator for District 39, she represents the cities of San Diego, Coronado, Del Mar and Solana Beach. Website of President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins: www.senate.ca.gov/Atkins