August 26, 2025 #1 Local News, Information and Event Source for the Century City/Westwood areas.

“College Contradiction” Threatens State’s Future

By Tom Elias

Call it the college contradiction. Just when a major study finds that California is about to fall far behind in producing the college-educated workforce that some of its biggest and fastest-growing businesses will soon need, half the state’s citizens say they don’t think a college degree brings greater success in life.

Examining the second part of that major contradiction first, information from the Public Policy Institute of California clearly demonstrates that college graduates do better in life than others, at least financially. No, material success doesn’t always produce happiness, and no one would sensibly argue that the wealthy don’t have problems.

But the PPIC analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau is clear that the more education a person has, the higher his or her annual income tends to be. Yes, there exceptions, like technology titans Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and the late Steve Jobs of Apple Corp., both college dropouts, but for the vast majority, the results are plain.

The average annual wage for someone with a graduate degree is more than $121,000, while the average bachelor’s degree holder makes more than $86,000. Community college grads average $58,000 and those who attended some college make $53,000. By contrast, high school graduates get $41,000 and high school dropouts just $31,000.

So there’s little doubt: The 50 percent who say college is unneeded for material success are just plain wrong.

But they still vote. And while the overwhelming majority of Californians in a just-released PPIC survey (79 percent) don’t want any increases in college and university student fees, no one knows where the funds to increase the number of college graduates will come from. For sure, the survey found most Californians don’t want higher taxes, even though a large majority pronounced themselves likely to vote for a higher education construction bond issue.

The PPIC’s analysis of Census figures was a foundation for testimony from the non-partisan, non-profit institute before a state Assembly committee considering changes to California’s Master Plan for Higher Education, in place since the early 1960s.

It concluded that the state’s workforce must include 38.4 percent highly educated persons by 2030, compared with the 29.7 percent that were required in 2000 and the 35.3 percent that will be needed in 2020. Failure to place that proportion of college graduates into the workforce would likely require importing more immigrant workers for high-paying jobs in computer- and technology-related industries or moving significant plants and laboratories out of the state.

Ironically, some of the same politicians who have long decried a supposed trend of businesses doing just that – setting up new facilities in states from Texas and Idaho to the Virginia suburbs of Washington D.C. – also regularly oppose increased state funding for the University of California and the California State University system.

But the PPIC information demonstrates they can’t have it both ways – they can’t have continued prosperity without investing at least some more money to enable it.

Hans Johnson, director of the PPIC Higher Education Center, testified that the increase in demand for educated workers doesn’t come merely from high-tech employers. He said there is also increased demand for educational attainment within longer-established professions. Among nurses, for example, 57 percent were college graduates in 2000, compared with 68 percent in 2015 and even more today.

The degrees are needed both to get hired and to keep jobs long-term. Reported Johnson, “We find higher labor force participation rates, lower unemployment rates and higher wages for workers with a bachelor’s degree than for those without…overall, the premium for college graduates relative to less educated workers has grown.” And there is no sign the disparity will ever close.

But that doesn’t stop half of Californians from thinking college is unnecessary. While majorities of African-Americans, Asian-Americans and Latinos say college should be a high priority, only 35 percent of whites agree.

No one has yet studied why whites are less convinced of the value of education than others.

But the bottom line is that as long as only half of Californians think college is needed, the majority of voters won’t be very willing to tap their wallets to support it. And yet, they must if California is to prosper. That’s the very dangerous college contradiction now facing this state.

Related Posts

Kobe Day Tribute: Lakers Welcome UCLA Newborns With Purple-and-Gold Gifts

August 26, 2025

August 26, 2025

Babies Received Adorable Care Packages in Celebration of “Kobe Day.” Families welcoming newborns at UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center and...

Suspect Arrested After Eight-Hour SWAT Standoff in Jefferson Park Shooting

August 26, 2025

August 26, 2025

 Police Say a Man Was Killed and a Suspect Barricaded Himself Inside a Home Hours after a fatal shooting near...

Attorney General Rob Bonta Secures Release of $900M in Frozen Education Funds for California

August 25, 2025

August 25, 2025

Trump Administration Agrees to Release Frozen Education Funds  California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Friday that the Trump administration has...

“Rich Rollin” Burglary Crew Linked to 92 Break-Ins Taken Down in LAPD Operation

August 25, 2025

August 25, 2025

Ten Suspects, Including Confirmed Gang Members, Face Charges Nearly 100 residential burglaries across the city have been tied to a...

Oakley Founder Relists Beverly Hills Fortress for $65.995 Million

August 25, 2025

August 25, 2025

James Jannard’s Brutalist Mansion in Trousdale Estates For Sale The brutalist estate built by Oakley founder James Jannard is back...

18-Year-Old Woman Fatally Shot While Trying to Break Up a Fight on a Metro Bus

August 24, 2025

August 24, 2025

Police Say the Teen Was Killed in Westchester After Intervening in a Dispute  Efforts to break up a fight on...

Chuck Lorre Buys $27.5 Million Bel Air Mansion With Hollywood Regency Pedigree

August 24, 2025

August 24, 2025

TV Producer Closed on the John Elgin Woolf–Designed Estate at a Discount Chuck Lorre, the television producer behind The Big...

Is $1,500 Enough Anymore? The L.A. Tradeoffs Between Address and Actual Living Space

August 24, 2025

August 24, 2025

New Analysis Shows What 1500 Really Buys in the LA Metro In Greater Los Angeles, $1,500 rents less space than...

Two Days, Two Denials: Menendez Brothers Rejected for Parole

August 23, 2025

August 23, 2025

Erik Denied After 10-Hour Hearing; Lyle Rebuffed the Next Day Erik Menendez, convicted along with his brother in the 1989...

Rob Reiner to Attend for ‘This is Spinal Tap’ as Cinespia Wraps Summer at Hollywood Forever

August 23, 2025

August 23, 2025

Cinespia Closes Out Summer: Fan Favorites and DJs Return to Hollywood Forever Cinespia will close out summer with four outdoor...

Amber Alert for a Critical Missing Incident: Two Foster Brothers Abducted

August 23, 2025

August 23, 2025

Police Seek Non-Custodial Mother Jackeline Hernandez-Torres The California Highway Patrol issued a statewide Amber Alert after two foster brothers, ages...

Man Arrested After Burglary Report at Lionel Richie’s Beverly Hills Home

August 22, 2025

August 22, 2025

Police Say the Singer Was Home When the Suspect Entered the Property One suspect was taken into custody early Friday...

Extreme Heat Warning Extended in L.A. County: Officials Urge Safety Precautions

August 22, 2025

August 22, 2025

National Weather Service Alerts Cover Valleys, Mountains, and Coastal Areas Dangerous heat is expected to persist through the weekend in...

Jury Awards $3.8M to Man Injured by Rubber Bullet During 2020 George Floyd Protest in the Fairfax District

August 22, 2025

August 22, 2025

Filmmaker Suffered Permanent Injuries After Being Struck by a Sheriff’s Deputy’s Round Los Angeles County must pay nearly $4 million...

LAPD Urges Possible Victims to Come Forward in Sexual Assault Case Linked to Social Media

August 22, 2025

August 22, 2025

Suspect Arrested Aug. 20 on Suspicion of Forcible Rape Los Angeles police are asking for the public’s help in identifying...