A small but noisy group of picketers protesting rising student costs created a spectacle with bullhorns and picket signs outside the Cal State University Chancellor's house in Belmont Heights Tuesday night.
A dinner party was underway at the large corner home, on Granada Avenue at Vista, during the hours of 5 p.m. and 9 p.m., when the students had legally obtained a city permit to assemble on the sidewalk outside. Long Beach Police Department had at least four patrol cars in the area and officers on the lawn and street observing the scene, along with what appeared to be some form of suited security.
The protest was loud but peaceful, led at about 7 to 7:30 p.m. by a dozen or so students, and perhaps as many photographers videotaping the scenes.
Hours earlier, a Compensation Committee of the CSU Board of Trustees convened at their downtown Long Beach headquarters, where they voted to freeze new president's salaries. Facing a sustained and months-long outcry over some large bonuses and compensation for recent hires, the board opted to spend no increased public funds, but allowed for a 10% increase in compensation using privately raised or donated funds.
