University of California students rallied at the Capitol Monday, protesting Governor Jerry Brown's proposed half-a-billion dollar cut to the UC system. Students chanting: "Whatcha doing, Jerry Brown, why're you trying to shut us down?" Hundreds of students chanted, marched and even danced in a flash mob to 70s music. Rachel Horning is a junior at UC Berkeley. Horning: "More money is going to prison right now than education. Next year, students are going to be paying more than the state for tuition, and it's a joke." But those students must face reality, says Democrat Marty Block, who chairs the Assembly's Committee on Higher Education. Block: "The money just isn't there to fund all the good programs in the state. Higher education was fortunate to not get cut last year. So this year, it's probably higher ed's turn." Block says if voters don't approve the governor's proposed tax extensions, the cuts would be far worse. The governor has also proposed a $500 million dollar cut to the CSU system and a $400 million reduction to community colleges. Click here to read and listen to full story.

SACRAMENTO – In this Democratic weekly address, Assemblymember Marty Block (D-San Diego) reports that his Cayman Islands Tax Loophole Bill has been passed by the Assembly. Block discusses how the bill will close off-shore tax shelters to generate revenue to directly pay for a tax cut on textbooks and supplies for college students.

English language MP3 file. The running time is 1:52.

Spanish language MP3 file. The running time is 2:44.